Suffocating
by phanasmasirenia
Summary: When everything around her is out to get her, can the crew save her from herself and Ezra from his selfish ways? Or are they both goners. The story about the woman who saved Ezra from the cold and the desolate. Kanan x OC
1. The Death of Her Part I

**Hello, friends. It's me… the author. Now this is the beginning of my story and the first episode so it's quite long and I'm breaking it into two parts so that you can get a feel for it or stop at the end if you like.**

**Now my main character's name is Andromeda, and when I first heard the name I miss pronounced it greatly so um, how it is truly pronounced is an-drah-meh-duh. Yeah, thanks.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY INFORMATION IN THIS STORY EXCEPT FOR MY ORIGINAL CHARACTER Andromeda, AND THE INFORMATION I HAVE ADDED IN. I'm only a Clone under Darth Vader's orders.**

**ENJOY! -3-**

(•-•)

"That boy is going to be the death of me." A pale haired woman muttered as she watched from the communication tower, seeing the young blue haired orphan take the merchants fruit away from him before climbing off to the roofs. The older woman sighed at the boy she had taken in and decided to take time away from the telescope and off inside their small home to relax without the disruptive boy.

(•-•)

The sound of TIE fighters flew through the young woman's sensitive ears and throughout the quiet tower she called home. She shot up instantly from the cot where she had been reading and walked to the railing to see her custody traveling at high speeds along the field.

"He truly is the death of me." She stated, walking into the house and grabbing her own ride zooming out of the house and out to save the twerp.

(•-•)

"Whatever's in these crates must really be worth it." Ezra stated looking back to see the TIE fighter gaining up on him. He quickly changed his outlook to see where he was driving, only to get shot at by green lasers. He ducked his head to dodge the shot and, with his eyes wide open, flew off the scooter and into the field headfirst his scooter up in flames but the crate perfectly fine.

Behind the young boy the sound of a laser sounded once more blowing up the TIE fighter that had appeared before him. Ezra turned around slowly to see the image of the Ghost appear in all of its glory and the man he had been running away from standing inside with a smug look on his face.

"You want a ride?" He asked as Ezra stood still, seeing four more TIE fighters come up behind the Ghost quickly. "Kid, do you have a better option?" Ponytail asked, raising an eyebrow and holding out his hand in invitation. Ezra looked back at the rebel allowing himself to go along, thinking he'd just get back home with the crate he ran forwards. "Come on! Leave the crate." The rebel shouted for the kid, but he still took the crate and jumped up to the ascending ship. "You'll never make it!" Ezra made the jump and pulled himself up onto the deck as the man looked astounded at the boy's ability. "Whoa."

The two walked inside the ship with the deck closing inside of itself.

(•-•)

The Lasat in the ship opened the crate once it was in their grasp. As Ezra climbed inside he saw the guns that would give him and his 'mom' the food they needed for three months and maybe a little more. "Oh! Do you have any idea what these are worth on the black market?" He asked looking up to the three who occupied the room, Ponytail, Helmet, and the Lasat.

"I do, actually." Ponytail replied from where he stood with his arms crossed.

"Don't get any ideas." The Lasat growled out, leaning over the crate with a glare.

"They're mine." Ezra stated holding up the gun.

He snatched it out of his hands. "If you hadn't gotten in our way-"

Ezra cut him off, leaning in to his face. "Too bad, I got to them first."

The leader of the ship walked up to the two and gently placed his hands on the two's shoulders, pulling them apart. "It's not who's first. It's who last."

When the man spoke to Ezra in this manner, like his Anne-Marie, he couldn't help but scowl, then notice the face on the Lasat's only to pull one back as Ponytail pulled back, crossing his arms to stare discordantly at the young kid. Ponytail looked over to the Lasat, patting him on the shoulder. "Keep an eye on our friend here." At this statement, the Lasat grew cocky crossing his arms as he looked down at the kid. Ponytail making his leave.

(•-•)

The woman of tall stature that Ezra referred to as Anne-Marie came up to the sight where Ezra had been only ten minutes before. She stared at the sight in horror before noticing the smell of something that wasn't a TIE fighter scent of fuel and the feeling of the Force lingering lightly in the air. She looked around once more to make sure Ezra hadn't tried to sneak back home to not get in trouble before stomping back to her scooter and riding off to their home.

(•-•)

"Look, I was just doing the same thing you were: stealing to survive." Ezra said a couple moments later as he sat atop the crate he claimed as his.

The Lasat took his hand and pointed it at his stomach to get the kid away from him. "You have no idea what we were doing, kid? You don't know us."

"And I don't want to." Ezra stated, he had all he needed, he had Andromeda. His eyes went wide with the realization that she was probably going to kill him and he needed to get off this death trap before she would come to kill him more than she already would. Deciding to cover up his realization he claimed, "I just want off this burner." He stated with a scowl.

"Please, nothing would thrill me more than tossing you out… while in flight." The Lasat stated getting in the street urchins face, smugly with a small smile on his face.

A TIE fighter caught a chip of the ship making it shake around the people inside. Ezra and the Lasat falling to the ground from the unbalance.

"Get off!" Ezra shouted. "Can't breathe." He acted as if he were about to faint as he laid crushed on the ground.

"I'm not that heavy in this gravity." The Lasat stated turning his head to Ezra before pushing himself up.

"Not the weight." He groaned waving a hand in front of his face. "The smell."

The Lasat glared down at the kid. "You don't like the air quality in here, eh? Fine. I'll give you your own room." He said with a grim smile, picking up Ezra and walking towards the corner of the room.

"Hey, stop! Let go" Ezra shouted as he kicked around in his arms before being tossed into a room and the door locking on him.

Moments later of Ezra being locked in the small room, Kanan came across the comm asking for where Ezra was. Zeb opened up the small room's door, looking in to see… well not Ezra.

"Well, he is still in the ship." Zeb stated to Kanan as the two heard clattering and what seemed to be talking surprisingly.

"Oh, he's in the ship, all right." Helmet stated with amusement laced in her voice.

(•-•)

Inside the home stood the young woman in an infuriated state, her hands clenched, and her face red as she tapped at the communication piece in her ear to contact the only piece of family she had in her life. In sickly sweet voice she called out to the young boy, who didn't respond right away from the fear creeping up inside of him.

"Yes?" He asked after a few moments.

"What do you think you're doing?" She shouted at him right away. "First you go into town to scavenge for the things that I should be doing and then you go on causing trouble for no good reason!" She shouted louder pacing back and forth in the small room. "You had me worried sick." She cracked, her voice breaking in the piece.

"Hey, Anne-Marie, don't worry. I'm fine… sort of. I just need to sort something's out, but for right now I'm in an air duct so I'm going to- auf" The stupid kid fell out of the ceiling and onto the floor with his bag toppling on top of his head just to finish it.

"Are you alright, duck?" Andromeda asked quickly.

"Yes I'm fine. I'll call you later when I can talk." He stated.

Andromeda nodded her head in agreement then speaking into the comm. "Just remember that you're doing the dishes and laundry for two weeks." She sang happily before the line went dead and Ezra looked up with a sigh only to gasp at the sight.

"I-I'm-I'm in space." Ezra stated with a wide, curious eyes only to quickly turn to fear as he watched the TIE fighters come toward him with lasers. "And I'm about to die!" He shouted leaning back in his seat in fear.

A TIE fighter exploded before his eyes from the Ghost, shot by Kanan in another little bubble like Ezra's. His eyes continued to widen as he watched the explosion in fascination. "Whoa…" He sighed. A painted hand landed on his shoulder dragging him on the seat, throwing him to the ground. Ezra quickly looked up and stared at the woman who pulled off her helmet with ease, and him with curiosity.

She quickly scowled down at him before taking her spot in the chair. Ezra scooted himself over so that he was behind the blue and orange haired girl who continued to half a scowl on her face. He smiled lightly and stated, "My name's Ezra. What's yours?" His poor shoulder was jerked back once again so he could be face to face with the Lasat.

"The name's Zeb, you Loth-rat." He growled in his face, then turned his scowl into a smirk for a quick moment. "Who was that you were talking to up there? You're girlfriend?" He teased making Ezra's sheepish grin fade to one of disgust.

"No, ewh gross!" He exclaimed making the movement to wipe his tongue before Hera's voice came over the comm.

"Calculations complete, but we need an opening." She stated, the young beauty responding instantly.

"Found one." She stated, firing for the entrance.

"Entering hyperspace." The pilot called as they calmed for a moment, gaining momentum, then flying through stars and galaxies in the blink of an eye. Ezra's eye grew as he watched it all fly by in an instant. It was all so beautiful, he had never left Lothal before. He had always heard the wonders of the Universe from Andromeda and she promised when he turned sixteen she would take him.

As he continued to think he noticed one thing. Andromeda. "Oh no. Andromeda is going to kill me." He muttered, eyes wide turned to fear now.

(•-•)

"Let go. You can't keep me here. Take me back to Lothal!" Ezra exclaimed to the two aliens in his midst, now annoyed and in fear.

"Calm down, that's exactly what we're doing." The Twi'lek stated, fiddling around with the console as she spoke to him.

"Right now? With Imperials chasing us?" Ezra asked, astounded. Now Andromeda was really going to kill him.

"We lost the TIEs when we jumped, and the Ghost can scramble its signature so they won't recognize us when we return." Hera stated reassuringly.

"Oh. That's pretty cool." Ezra conceited with pleasure. He found it interesting and maybe something to tell Andromeda about. "So just drop me and my blasters outside Capital City and-" Ezra began cockily, his shoulders and jaw tilting up as if he deserved such a thing.

"They're not your blasters." Sabine announced as she walked into the cockpit along with Kanan.

"And we're not going back to Capital City. The job's not done." Kanan stated behind her.

(•-•)

The Ghost made its way back to Lothal but not the place Ezra grew up in. Landing the crew took off, Kanan and Hera go one way and the other two pulling crates in the other direction.

"Hey, where are they going?" Ezra asked, looking over to the elder members of the team walking off without a word to the others.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Zeb said to him, pushing a crate past him from off the Ghost, Sabine right behind him. "Oh, and I might just kill you anyway." He said as an afterthought.

"Grab a crate, pull your weight." Sabine called behind her as she walked on.

(•-•)

The three were now in a run down, town that was suffering from poverty. They pushed their crates through the town, Ezra subtly looking around the town as he spoke.

"Lived on Lothal my whole life. Never been here." Ezra stated to the two.

"The Imperials don't advertise it." Sabine noted, walking slightly ahead of the other two.

Zeb took a sideways glance putting in his two cents. "Locals call it Tarkintown."

"Named for Grand Moff Tarkin, he was the right hand man to the King, but when the royals were persuaded to dethrone by the Imperials Tarkin became Governor and the King and Queen became onlookers who stayed inside their castle. Anyways, he kicked these folks off their farms when the Empire wanted their land." Sabine lectured as they all looked at the people who adorned the streets.

"Anybody who tried to fight back got arrested for treason." Zeb stated, looking over to Ezra who put looked down in shame for what people were doing.

The three had come to stand in the middle of Tarkintown, Zeb and Sabine had big smiles on their faces standing behind their crates along with Ezra.

"Who wants free grub?" Zeb called out to the nearby people, pulling off the lid. Ezra looked to his crate once, then twice with a surprised face. He thought these guys were thieves, just surviving for the sake to stay alive. But it was more than that, they were thieves and rebels so that they could do something, make a change.

A couple people called out "yes's as they walked up taking a piece of fruit for themselves. A Rodian took a piece of food from Ezra's crate, before looking to the young boy and touching his shoulder to show his appreciation.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." He said, before walking away.

Ezra watched in surprise, as his insides were filled with guilt. Andromeda had always emphasized the greatness of helping others with only the benefit of them, but every time he tried he would always do something rash and selfish. So the guilt began to pile on as he began to feel a warm sensation of happiness in his stomach. "I… I don't do anything." He whispered after him, disappointed in himself.

Ezra had taken back to going to the Ghost, sitting in front of the ship, wallowing in his self-deprivation as he looked down at the little camp. Looking back at the ship for the moment, feeling as if something were calling out to him he started inside, searching the rooms curiously as he felt something calling out to him.

He found a room that was locked but the calling got stronger so he bent down to his knee and began unlocking the door, an old looking rusted droid rolled by, taking a small glance at the blunette then continuing on by.

Ezra got the door open slowly walking in, sitting on the bed. The calling was getting louder in his ears and he looked in the distance curiously. "Okay… weird…" He whispered to himself, turning to look under the bed in a drawer. Opening the drawer her found an eccentric cube that made no sense to the young boy, he looked at it curiously before pocketing it, muttering. "It might be worth something." The calling continued and opening the drawer more he found a light saber. His face glowed in happiness as he fiddled around with it, holding it up to his face with a gleam before his grin fell as the doors opened and Kanan appeared in the doorway.

Ezra took a small step to look at him in his peripheral vision, Kanan calling out "Careful, you could cut an arm off." Saying this the droid and Hera stepped into his line of vision as he completely turned to face them.

"Look I know you're not gonna believe me, but it's like this thing wanted me to take it." He said slowly, staring at the light saber in wonder, he hadn't ever seen one before, only heard of them.

"You're right." Kanan began, Ezra looked over to him in hope. "I don't believe you." Ezra's face fell instantaneously as he watched Kanan in slight despair, the light saber dropped down, still in his grasp though. "Now hand me the light saber." Kanan announced, his hand lying face up so that he could easily take it from Ezra.

At the announcement of light saber Ezra quickly picked up the sword with a new kind of curiosity, "Light saber? Isn't that the weapon of the Jedi?" He asked, inquisitively.

"Give it to me and get out." Kanan stated, annoyed and pushed over his limit.

(•-•)

Ezra had taken to walking into a room like a kitchen, where Sabine sat drinking a mixture on the table. Ezra spotted her quickly and walked over to her, his childish crush taking over him.

"Not too good at following directions, are you?" She asked with a small smile as he walked in. He was a cute kid that wouldn't let go of her.

"Not so much." He answered easily. "You?"

"Never been my specialty." She admitted with a shrug, taking a sip of her drink. There were a couple seconds of silence before Ezra began to speak again.

"Who are you people? I mean, you're not thieves exactly." Ezra tried to restate his blunt attempt at talking to the girl only to mess it up a bit. He cringed at himself but listened to what the young girl had to say.

"We're not exactly anything." She remarked looking off behind Ezra's head. "We're a crew, a team, in some ways a family." Her voice gave away that this was her family, and Ezra picked up on that little telling feebly asking the question.

"What happened to your real family?"

"The Empire." She looked to Ezra, locking eyes. "What happened to yours?" Ezra's mouth opened as he was about to state his situation when the doors to the room opened wide and Zeb stood outside it.

"Kanan wants us in the common room." He stated, knocking on top of the droids' head. "If he tries anything, sound the alarm." He told Chopper. "Or shoot him." Chopper said something to Zeb who just gave him a quick glare and a "shush" before walking out.

The fiery haired woman stood and began to walk out of the room, her helmet in hand before looking back at the young juvenile. "Sabine. My name is Sabine." She smiled to him and it took Ezra a moment to understand what she had unraveled to him before a grin spread across his face and become like a love sick puppy. As Ezra rose his hand up, as if to touch her she walked out of the room and Chopper into his way.

Ezra glared down at the droid before looking around the room, the droid blabbering about as if telling Ezra not to do anything.

(•-•)

Ezra made his way through the ventilation system once more, making his round back to where he was first thrown into when he got on board. Listening to Kanan spell about what their next plan of action was to save the Wookies, all hope was lost when Ezra's comm came to life producing an elegant voice from the other side.

"Ezr-"

"Shh, shh, shhhhh" He whispered loudly holding the comm down so that the voice was muffled, not that it helped because she began yelling. When Kanan had unlocked the door, Ezra had been leaning against it and fell to his side.

"Ezra Bridger, do not dare ignore me!" A voice shouted from his pant loop where the comm was hooked to.

He stood for one moment before he quickly tried to climb away back into the vents, only to be dragged out and thrown on the ground.

"I ordered Chopper to keep watch." Zeb grit out, clutching his hand in the other cracking his knuckles, glaring down at the poor kid.

"EZRA BRIDGER!" A voice shouted and the four standing in the room were just a bit shocked from the sudden yell.

Ezra stared wide eye at the comm that was taken off his pant loop and into the hands of Kanan himself.

"Anne-Marie, I'll call you back later…" Ezra stated as he quickly turned off the comm.

"Can we please get rid of him?" Zeb asked, ignoring the shouts of the woman across the comm and worrying about the nuisance that became a part of his crew.

"No, we can't." Sabine declared, hope rising in Ezra that he finally had someone on his side. "The kid knows too much." His face fell instantly.

"We don't have time to take him home anyone. We need to move now." Hera spoke up, reaching out to help Ezra up to his feet. The two began for the ladder behind her, she turned around to look at the group. "I'll keep an eye on him."

**Haha thanks for, uh, reading for this first part. If you want to continue the second part should be up. If not, you should. :D**

**Um, yeah. If I get a couple reviews I might continue, I'm still kind of wary if anyone is going to like this story, if I like it, yada yada yada.**

**Have a good night, day, if you aren't continuing :)**


	2. The Death of Her Part II

**Yo, you came to the second chapter! Good for you. Venture forth and see what is to become on the planet of Kessel!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON NOT OWN THE STORY OR CHARACTERS OTHER THAN MY ANDROMEDA OR THE INFORMATION I ADD. I only repair the Ghost when it breaks. **

Andromeda let out a huff as she was turned off to Ezra, her face became heated and her cheeks puffed out in annoyance, glaring down at the comm. Quickly running to her room and getting on her usual attire consisted of a long sleeve turtle neck and fitted pants before clasping on an old cloak and hopping out of the room as she pulled on her boots, she quickly took to finding her way to her own spaceship down in the hull that she stole a while back.

"Coming to get you Ezra!" She whispered to herself, typing in the code to track Ezra's comm and quickly found her way into space, flying to the space station where Ezra was stuck inside.

Into hyperspace and out in a flash she appeared unto a sight she couldn't bear to see for the moment but quickly got over herself and went into fight mode. Ezra and the two other humans and Lasat that were running from the Empire were quickly getting back tracked by trying to shoot and run back to their ship. Quickly taking her ship into a small crevice she began shooting at the Clones that continued coming forth.

Ezra looked up at the ship to see the symbol that Andromeda always placed on her things, a small sun with a moon, and quickly became fearful. The Empire might be scary but Andromeda, the calm, level headed, cold woman, was frightening when angry.

Zeb looked back to see him looking at the craft, quickly pulling him back inside the ship as the doors shut and they were all safe.

Ezra stood in the hall to where Hera was piloting. He spoke quietly and calmly into his comm as Andromeda began yelling at him once more. Hera pushed through hyperspace, losing connection with Andromeda but he knew her high tech skills didn't mean that she wouldn't be able to find him again. He just hoped she wasn't going to chop off his head like that Red Queen lady from those stories she used to tell him.

He opened the door to Hera and she looked behind her for a brief moment then looking back out to the universe. "Welcome back… again." She said with a bit of a laugh as he grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thanks… Thank you." He pushed off the wall to look at her properly. "I didn't really think you'd come back for me." He said sadly, his eyes glistening a bit.

"I'll get you home now." Hera stated flicking some buttons as she looked back for a moment. "I'm sure your parents must be worried sick."

Ezra leaned back on the door sadly, "I don't have parents." Hera looked back at him sadly, feeling for the young boy, so innocent and so young.

"What the HELL are you talking about young man?!" The young woman's voice came across his comm and he jumped at the loud voice, surprised that he must have clicked the talk button. "I'm the closest thing you've got to as a family but I am still considered your mother-sister-father-family, whatever you want." Her voice became softer as she spoke and she stopped for a moment, scaring Ezra.

"Andromeda? Are you okay?" He quickly asked, his hands shaking a bit.

"I'm fine." She breathed. "Wherever you guys are going, I'm going. Don't worry on giving me coordinates, I've already tethered my signal-" Her voice floated from Ezra's comm to Hera's and surprised the couple with it. "to yours."

Hera nodded with a faint smile as she looked down, "That is quite impressive, love. You will definitely have to teach me that sometime."

Ezra could hear the smile in her voice. "Yeah, maybe some time."

"Well you've got somewhere else to be, right?" He asked as Sabine and Kanan made their entrance. "I know where the Wookiees are." He stated quickly, grabbing the attention of the crew once more. "Have you heard of the spice mines of Kessel?" They turned around quickly to look at him, solemn.

"Slaves sent there last a few months, _maybe _a year." Sabine stressed looking up to Hera.

"And for Wookiees, born in the forest, it's a death sentence." She supplied.

"Then I guess we better go save 'em." Ezra said half-heartedly, as if he were trying to become accustomed to this whole 'save others' thing.

They all turned around again hearing him include himself. Sabine was the one to state it. "'We'?"

"Come this far." He justified, taking an awkward step forward, not really making eye contact with any of them. "Might as well finish the job. Plus we may have some beneficial back up that's going to come." He threw out, three out of the four looked back a bit shocked Hera holding a small knowing smirk.

"'Backup'?" Kanan asked, a comm on the console came to life as a voice harshly came though.

"That's right."

"Who is this? And how did you get in contact with us? We're in hyperspace!" Kanan began exaggeratedly.

"Don't worry, dear. She's on our side." Hera soothes as the young man began to tense.

"We're going to the Spice Mines of Kessel, correct?" She asked, clarifying. "I'm all for it. Meet you there." She said with a twinkle in her voice before it cut off.

"Setting course for Kessel." Hera stated as they shot off also, the other crew still in a mindset of questions.

-.-.-

The Wookiees were taken to an abandoned planet, mostly a brown color and awful looking at the least. The white from the Droids clashed with the murky color, easily seen by the Ghost who came falling down and onto land, shooting at the Droids.

Andromeda waited out her time wisely to shoot down and once Ezra freed a couple Wookies and three TIE fighters came out she quickly took a nose dive shooting at them, but narrowly missed the one which took out the Ghost. A shot hit directly into Andromeda's ship and quickly made its nose dive impactful to the ground. The top turned to fire in seconds and Andromeda took a second to panic before hearing Ezra telling her to breathe. She quickly climbed her way out of the ship and to a side with an exit quickly taking to jumping out of the ship, landing lightly on her feet.

Running to the four standing together and shooting at the clones she quickly took to knocking to out by knocking their heads together and quickly punching another one before shooting down the fourth that had just took a lunge to her.

Turning to see the three staring at her wide eye she got a bit claustrophobic from their stares and quickly got knocked down from her distraction. Quickly taking to shooting the Droid, Sabine helped the young woman up to her feet. The veiled face gave a slight nod to the Mandalorian woman before taking back to her fighting. The three (and the Wookiee the Lasat had saved) ran behind a couple things of crates to where Ezra had hid a moment before them. His eyes widened seeing Andromeda and he quickly leaped at her, causing her to fall to the ground, narrowly missing a shot.

"Ha, it's uh nice to see you too squirt, but we're kind of in the middle of a battle ground." She laughed lightly, the only small smile he had seen on her face in a while only appeared at his antics, he loved when she smiled. Her cloak slightly shifted and the three could see a lightly tanned woman with dark gray eyes and thin lips. She had a cold demeanor that seemed to only hold empathy for this young boy.

"I can't maintain position." Hera called from her comm connected with Kanan. He held it to his mouth and quickly spoke to her.

"Go! Lead the TIEs away and give yourself maneuvering room!" Kanan shouted back as the shots continued, non-throttle.

"I am not leaving you behind." Hera stated back, her voice stern and motherly.

"No you're not." Kanan agreed, looking over at a crate. "We're running a 22-pickup!"

"Seriously?" She began her voice unsteady with the unsureness of this plan.

"You have a better option?" He bit back quickly.

"Make sure you're ready." Hera said quietly before leaving their conversation.

The group turned to see what had been happening behind them, the Clones getting closer, their aims getting more precise, it was getting to be too much and Ezra quickly turned to the head man crouching right beside him.

"22 pick up? Care to let me in on the secret?" He asked snarkily.

Kanan looked down, his face held together in concentration and just the smallest bit of agitation. "Kid, I'm about to let everyone in on the secret." He looked back up at the Clones for a moment before standing on top of one of the crates, as he walked he dodged the blasts coming his way with ease and by the second one the leading man stopped his army. Everyone watched in amazement, and maybe some with a bit of annoyance. Kanan's hand found its way to the two metal pieces, enclosing them together before pulling out his lightsaber to the men.

A small scoff and crossed arms, Andromeda watched with that annoyance her eyes cold and calculating. "No need to be such a show off." She muttered, Ezra elbowed her side with quite too much force making her fall and annoyingly sticking his tongue at her before turning back to the Jedi. Andromeda glared at the boy she found as a son to her, but sighed in exhaustion and a resigned sense to the young boy. She knew this day would come and sometimes she hoped that it wouldn't come, to keep the boy wrapped in a bundle and never to escape her clutches. She didn't try hard enough, she noticed.

"All troopers, focus your fire on…" The man took a moment's pause as he looked Kanan up and down before continuing. "-on the Jedi."

"Time to go!" Kanan shouted from in front of the group, Zeb nodding his head and Andromeda watching her boy carefully, she had noticed a shift in him. Something had changed and for once, she was glad that people changed him more than she ever could.

"Right." Zeb called back turning to the Wookiees immediately. "Everyone, into the container!"

She watched as Ezra struck his head to the crate before dashing off. Her jaw clinched as he ran off right into danger. Okay, maybe she wasn't too happy with this if he was going to get himself killed. Waiting a moment, she took off behind him, not being unnoticed by the man dressed in black as they passed.

Ezra ran onto the railing where he found the baby Wookiee who escaped the wrath of the evil men and the good ones too. The blue haired boy smiled lightly as he approached the terrified baby, quickly putting on a reassuring smile for it. "Hey." He said soothingly taking its arms to release the handcuffs bound to its wrists.

Andromeda had stayed back, so that if anyone came up behind she would easily be able to help the young boy instead of being cornered. She knew right and saw the arrogant man run over to the platform walking up to Ezra who stood back, she could see the lips moving and Ezra stand in position to launch the power launcher that she had gotten him years ago from an old man who was on his last days.

Slowly and carefully walking up behind the helmet clad man she waited until the perfect moment and once the craft rose into the sky a bit for the true Jedi to be seen she quickly took her clenched fist and socked him right in the face before Kanan even had a chance to retort his defense.

The ship began to lower and the tanned man shouted below to them. "Jump, kid! My lady!" He shouted, she tensed a bit but Ezra's gloved hand clasped around hers and the two jumped along with the baby Wookiee and right into the ship.

Once inside the young Wookiee instantly saw its mother, jumping excitedly then going down the latter without as much as touching the steps and running right into its fathe0'rs arms.

Ezra watched on, his heart flooded with a joy he had never felt before and looked to his right when he saw Kanan put his hand on his shoulder before going down to join the crew. He then looked to his left where Andromeda stood with a stone face. It was always quite a sight to see, her face was so elegant and seemed fit for a smile to sit there always but… it was always so cold and anxious as if someone were to come up behind her and stab her in the back.

His light hearted jokes always came to the better of her and she would allow a small smile to replace the scowl and, on occasion, a small chuckle. He beamed up to her, as if innocent and laughed, "So I was thinking, since I saved that Wookiee baby maybe my punishment would diminish to nothing." He asked, her eyes flickered down to his for a moment and he could see the storm in her eyes diminish for a moment to see his face, a small smirk along her features.

"Well seeing as you were gone longer than I wanted and I didn't know where you were plus the reason that you seem that you want to stay. I was going to further that punishment to two months but I think for saving that Wookiee you can cut it in half." She told him before stepping away and down the latter.

"Oh come on! Anne-Marie! You can't do this to me!" He whined, quickly running down to her.

(•-•)

They made it to the Wookiees home and the crew, Ezra, and Andromeda stood before them, Sabine stood next to one Wookiee that growled in a pleasing manner. The young Mandalorian turned to them with a small smile, translating for it. "He said 'if we ever need help, the Wookiees will be there.'" She smiled. The father of the young Wookiee reached out to pet Ezra's hair affectionately and he smiled happily.

He took a step forward his eyes almost shining, it seemed, with tears. "Good luck, Kitwarr. Try to stay out of trouble." He said wisely, looking happy as the young Wookiee and its father left and the room. Zeb chuckled walking past to close the door.

"Heh, look who's talking."

"So I guess you drop Anne-Marie and I off next?" A beep sounded as Zeb closed the door.

"Uh, yeah." He looked as if it really tore his heart to think the kid would leave the crew soon, now Andromeda he had no affiliation with but the cold eyes and the glare she held as she stood towards the back made him nervous enough, along with this disappointment along with it, he really started to get nervous. He cleared his throat, shifting his eyes back to Ezra. "Finally, right?"

"Right." Ezra solemnly answered walking back towards his mother-like figure. The two leaned against the door way as the three walked back inside the ship. The craft detached itself causing the two to bump into Kanan as he walked past, Ezra apologizing the tall swan like woman, not.

Ezra looked down at his hand to see the long piece of the light saber in his hand but the small piece nowhere to be found. He quickly looked to Andromeda who looked down at him with a risen eyebrow. She quickly looked to the side as a small smirk creeped onto her face as she whispered. "You little thief." Before tossing the smaller piece to him.

"I guess you have to learn from somewhere. At least you have got me."

(•-•)

The ship had made landing on Lothal, only a little distance from their home Ezra walked around a little bit saying his goodbyes as Andromeda made her way outside, a distance from the other two. Hera and she made small idle chat but when anyone else tried to join in other than Ezra, she closed her mouth and walked away.

"So, uh, see you around?" Ezra asked, walking to Zeb who leaned against the wall.

"Not if we see you first." He chuckled, taking to giving him a good punch in the arm.

Ezra glared back at him as he surprisingly took a lurch to the side in pain. "Don't worry. You won't." Zeb gave an astonished look as Ezra walked away, annoyed.

"Tell Zeb that Ezra is not used to the…" Andromeda took a moment to think of the words. "Friendly contact of men. He has only been around me and I am not quite violent, very much the peace and order in our home."

"Yes ma'am." Hera responded cheekily, giving her a warm smile, then turning to see Ezra walk towards them.

"I think you have something that belongs to me." Kanan stated, his arms crossed but his voice set in a fatherly tone to a child.

Ezra looked away, abashed for thinking he could get away with it before remembering. "Oh. Uh, sorry." He muttered tossing the holocron to Kanan, making Andromeda smirk the smallest bit. "Good luck saving the galaxy." He said softly before taking off to their home.

"I'll put on dinner." Andromeda said, before walking away smugly, turning on her heel with the slightest frown.

(•-•)

Andromeda made it back to her home, but she noticed that Ezra was not alone, she heard the muffled voices as she made way around and the question that he asked. If Ezra wanted to come with him. To leave all this wasted stuff behind and fly around the galaxy.

"You know." She said, leaning against the door way. The two jumped looking over to her cold demeanor. "You may not understand this, but Ezra's home is here and _I _am his legal guardian. Not asking me first is as if you are trying to kidnap my child from me." She said with a cold scowl.

Kanan began to sputter and stumble over his words, before taking a moment to pull himself together.

Ezra looked down to her hands, they were clenched tighter than he had ever seen, her lightly tanned hands turning a deathly white and when he looked up he noticed her face had taken on a pale color too, her eyes anxious and she couldn't help but move the slightest bit.

Kanan was just about to speak when Ezra quickly rushed forwards grabbing her shoulders lightly and swaying her side to side. "Calm down, Anne-Marie. Don't let the worry consume you. I'm not going to leave you. I'm right here. By your side. We will never be broken apart." He sung quietly and off key, his eyes held her firm and she breathed in and out of her nose just as he taught her. She looked down to her hands letting them unclench before shakily stepping to their small kitchen to put on a pot of tea.

Ezra led Kanan to a small couch in their small living room, quickly rushing to move all the Clone helmets he had lying around so that he could sit. "She gets panic attacks easily, but it's not as if it's for normal reasons, people get panic attacks because their afraid of dying and stuff like that. She gets them because she's afraid to lose those around her, to be left alone once more." Ezra said softly as he continued to clean up a bit around Kanan.

Andromeda walked into the room chuckling softly as she watched Ezra shift around nervously until he heard her soft steps walk in to snap up and look at her cautiously. She stood awkwardly standing near the two drinking a kava tea with coconut milk mixed in. She watched the two carefully, knowing the poor child's worries and the wisdom the older had since Ezra was quite the talker.

"So, I just want you two to know." She said as she walked to her chair that sat in front of the couch, but there laid no helmets or any stray things upon it. "That I have known this day would come, that my love would leave to become a part of something far greater." She said, turning to her cup she took a small sip, closing her eyes from the softness of it as it went down her throat.

Kanan watched her surprised, she seemed so vulnerable now unlike the cold glares she had given or the temperamental taps of her foot he had seen. "What do you mean?" He inquired softly.

She looked up slowly from the sweet taste of her tea, shakily she set down her tea on the table next to her, not even looking to see if it had helmets or other objects strewn upon it before setting it down. "I have been told of this day from many of a person and I knew it would come. I am unable to elaborate further more but maybe I will come to tell later." She sighed softly taking her drink and sipping once more. She looked up again with a determination that neat any that Kanan had ever seen before. "I will agree on one condition for Ezra to go along with you." She said softly her hands clasped lightly together in her lap.

"Anything." He breathed, sitting a bit further in his seat.

"I want to come with you."

**H-Hey! Welcome readers! If you actually liked this idea, yo much is appreciated. I've been contemplating if I want to continue on but, who knows. Maybe this will be the first to be published and continuing. I quite like Andromeda, and I hope she is not, what the teens say these days, a 'Mary-Sue' she is quite the opposite and I'm excited for when we get to see her past. Hmm unsure when to so though… **

**Yes slight details changed for a matter of the story. If you picked them up, great! If not, maybe you will later and come back to this chapter and see what you missed.**

**RRR, catch you on the flip side!**


	3. Now Aboard the Ghost!

**Welcome to the story I might actually get through.**

**DISCLAIMER: THIS EPISODE IS 6,000+ WORDS SOOOO, GET THROUGH IT. ALSO I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS OR THE PLOT LINE ONLY THE INFORMATION I SUPPLY AND THE CHARACTERS THAT I BIRTH. **I am but a messily peasant upon Lothal.

Four of six (not including Chopper) of the members now boarded upon the Ghost sat inside the cockpit watching anxiously by as Hera and Kanan bantered back and forth. Andromeda stood in the back of the vessel just watching the proceedings go by and helping the little droid all she could.

"I don't have a shot!" Kanan called across the comm as they continued to fire at a couple TIE fighters.

Hera looked back at the two, along with Ezra because he had been looking back every couple minutes to look at her. "Chopper, do you have the coordinates?" Hera called back, tension rising in her voice as she turned back to see what she was diving into.

The little droid made a couple beeps and such before turning up to Andromeda, also. "What did he say?" Zeb asked as Andromeda's nimble fingers danced across the control pad quickly as Hera lurched the acceleration forward.

"He said, 'hello, hyperspace.'" Hera translated as the ship jumped through a series of blue colors before back into one spot, alone.

"That's not what he said." Zeb muttered as they were going through hyperspace.

Kanan walked in, a bit too confidant. "Told you we'd get away." He said the group with a small smirk on his face.

"With the shipment." Sabine emphasized. "You said we'd get away with the shipment." She continued annoyed, looking at him desperately.

"We _are _low on… just about everything." Andromeda stated, only giving him a glance before leaning on the back wall with her arms crossed and a scowl that never seemed to leave her face.

"Food." Ezra added.

"Explosives." Sabine said casually.

"Fuel." Zeb imputed.

Hera turned around to look at Kanan once she had the Ghost situated. "We need to make some money, or we might as well put the Ghost in storage." She stated with a small glare towards the young Jedi.

"There's always Vizago's job." Kanan stated with a shrug, looking around at the four.

"So we're arms dealers again?" Zeb asked, irritated with the thought. He had no inkling of like towards this job set, there was no telling where those guns and other weapons went off to and maybe it was another world vacated with them.

"Mmm, more like arms redistributors." Kanan said with a small smile as he looked innocently at Zeb's annoyed face.

"Come on." He seethed out looking out the window for a moment before back up to Kanan to try and get him to back off this idea. "We don't even know what kind of weapons we're talking about here."

"Probably something highly illegal." Andromeda stated and they all turned to her. She watched them surprised that they looked to her before continuing defensively. "Just so you can get a mental picture." She added trying to smile lightly at them but it came out more like a grimace and she stopped trying after two seconds.

Ezra looked at her for a moment before looking back, then began to speak. "Hey, if it puts food on the table and frees up some time for oh, I don't know Jedi training, then I'm in." Ezra announced and his mother-like guardian stood with raised eyebrows.

"And what would you know about getting food on the table?" She asked curiously, even though she already knew he would sneak off at night or when she had gone out during the day to do who knows what without her. She always tried to do her best for the kid but sometimes it wasn't enough where Ezra would notice and just, being Ezra, he ran out and helped as best she could. Even knowing this, she loved to mess with him.

"Oh, well you know." He said with a small laugh as he scratched the best of his neck. "I had to help out too, you know." He huffed, turning back to face forward with a light scowl on his face that looked uncannily like Andromeda's.

Zeb and Sabine first made there entrance on the ship taking their seats quietly. Ezra and the Droid boarder behind them, the two tripping over each other. "How rude." Zeb commented as he came by, where the two gave him a glare before sitting in their seats.

"This way, Mr. Wabo." A tall woman called as she stepped into the shuttle, walking towards her seat with an Aqualish man walking up behind her. "We have seats in the front." She stated sitting down on her chair.

Mr. Wabo began to speak to the woman but it came out in his native language, she gave a huff before looking around. "Where is that translator?" She asked, scornfully as a tall golden droid walked in.

"Coming, minister." He called, looking back to see his friend dragging along. "Come along, R2."

The two people left out of the Rebel crew took their time to get on board. "Final call for star-commuter shuttle ST-45, bound for Garel." It called, lifting its door up just as Kanan and Andromeda jumped up, the former helping the other up onto the platform since she easily lost her balance while jumping.

Stepping inside Andromeda was surprised to hear and familiar callous voice. "Oh dear me, Andromeda! Is that you?" Minister Maketh Tua stood with a sense of glee before seeming to relish in something before taking her seat.

Andromeda closed her eyes swiftly, turning to the side quietly before turning back with a large grin that seemed incredibly fake and her shaking hands taken to wrapping behind her back black turtle and clutch at the soft fabric of her dark pants. The crew that she knew, watched awkwardly as she spoke to her, never seeing a smile that big, nor a look so proper in her eyes, nor the gleam of elegance she undertook for a small moment.

"Minister." She exclaimed cheerfully her eyes laden with hate as she watched the older woman. "What a _pleasant _surprise." She said awkwardly, beginning to rock on her heels in the substitute of pacing.

"Yes, my dear. It has been too long." Minister Tua said with a longing smile, but her words cut cold when she asked just the question, not meaning to cut deep but just generally curious in her part. "How is life of poverty working for you?" She asked softly.

"Sentients," A robotic voice called. "please prepare for takeoff."

Kanan took hold of Andromeda's upper arm pulling her forward a bit to get her moving. She took two steps before looking over her shoulder lightly. "The life of a poor man, is greater than that of a rich one." She concluded wisely. "I do hope that you will get to see my trade of passion these days. It's quite," She paused a moment looking forward. "thrilling!"

(•-•)

The two took their seats quickly and Kanan quickly turned to her, his eyes a bit wider than usual. "What was that?" He whisper shouted. "You know that lady? How do you know her?" He asked, a bit frustrated that there seemed to be up this lady.

"We can talk about it later." She responded, crossing her arms as they went into hyperspace. "It's a part of my past that I don't like dwelling upon and it has nothing to do about know except that she thinks that I'm not against the Empire, even after everything they've done to me." Her hands clenched together tightly and in between the seats in front of her, she saw Ezra subtly poke his head through, even as Chopper continuously poked the boy.

"Breathe." He whispered and she took the time to do so. "I'm going for it, wish me luck." He said quietly to her with a wink before putting on a scowl (the one that he used to mock Andromeda with, saying it's exactly what she looked like) and looking down at the Droid in defiance. "Will you cut it out! You have plenty of room! Stop crowding me." He shouted agitated, as the Droid laughed and shocked him causing him to go flying back. Chopper looked over to Kanan who was scowling too before shocking him just a bit also.

"Kid, how 'bout you get that rust bucket under control?" Kanan stated, standing up so he could look down at Ezra.

"Mind your own business!" He shouted back haughtily, as Andromeda quickly took to standing.

"Hey, that's now way to talk to your elders, kids." She stated, pointing a finger at him.

"You're not that much older than me." He put out rudely, crossing his arms as he looked away from her.

"I could be your mother." She retorted, with the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Yeah right. You were what? Nine, when I was born." He said rolling his eyes but she could see the smile in his eyes.

"Hey, pilot." Kanan called, cutting off their banter and getting the attention of the robot. "Isn't there some rule against droids in the passenger area?"

The poor robot seemingly sighed as he looked back to him, giving him a reassuring statement. "I am sorry, sir. Your astromech must proceed to the back of the craft." He stated turning back around.

"Hey," Ezra shouted getting the attention of the pilot again. "If my astromech's banished, then those two astromechs are banished too." He stated, annoyed as he threw his hand towards C-3PO and R2-D2.

Astromech? Me? I have never been so insulted." C-3PO said, as if truly hurt as he stood there being brashed by some kid. Tua gave a roll of her eyes at the dramatics of the damned robot. "I'll have you know that I am a protocol droid, fluent in over six million forms-"

"Pilot, these two droids are with me, and I am on Imperial business." She stated, just the smallest bit obnoxiously as the Droid turned to her, its blank eyes seemed to hold a gleam of something as it looked back at her. "Sorry, ma'am, but these are Imperial regulations." It said coolly with narrowed eyes as it put the purple visor back over its eyes and turning to the galaxy.

"But, minister." The golden droid complained.

"I can't risk an incident spoiling these negotiations." She said quickly clenching her eyes and rubbing her fingers across the bridge of her nose. She looked back to see them still standing there. "Go! Oh, this is so humiliating." She muttered to herself as she subtly slid down in her seat.

"Trust an astromech to ruin everything." C-3PO muttered to itself as it passed Ezra, Kanan and Andromeda.

The Aqualish turned to the Minister in a bit of frustration as it began to speak to her. She looked genuinely apologetic as she turned to the man. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wabo. I-I don't understand you." She stated looking over to him.

Zeb swiftly leaned against the back of their chairs drawling out a quick hello to the two.

"Excuse me." Maketh Tua asked astounded by the weird fellow talking to her.

"I couldn't help noticing your predicament. If it's of any help, my ward here is quite fluent." The two sitting in the first row of seats to look back at the young, innocent face of Sabine as she looked up at them.

"Oh, I would never presume." She told them as if she were terribly certain that they would not need her. "Though it would be good practice for my level five exams at the Imperial Academy." She whispered to herself as if trying to make a decision before throwing her hands out to them. "No, no. But I couldn't." She concluded.

"You're a level five academy student?" She asked, quite astonished. This girl looked very young and with much spunk. She looked as if she should have been in level three classes with girls her age, but maybe she was older than she appeared, she presumed. "I was too, once upon a time." She stated wistfully pushing back into her seat.

A few moments later she quickly turned to Sabine. "Now, please ask Mr. Wabo where the shipment is being held." She stated looking from Sabine's giddy face back to Mr. Wabo. The two exchanged words with Sabine taking a second to let it sink in before turning to the Minister with a wide smile.

"He said bay 17."

"Sentients, we are approaching Garel." The pilot stated, turning back to the console. "Please prepare for landing." It said as a light orange planet came into view before them.

(•-•)

The crew got off the shuttle, Sabine and Zeb farther back behind the Minister.

"I really hope she does not call for me. I wish not to speak to her for as long as I live." Andromeda whispered to Kanan and Ezra who stood by her side, her fists clenched and her eyes shut annoyed.

"My dear, you did great service to your Empire today." Tua said gratefully to the young girl behind her. "Now focus on those level fives." She replied with a quick smile before walking away.

"Oh, I will, Minister. It's been such an honor. Thank you." She crowed back, trying to hide her laughter as she sugar-coated her words. Zeb pushed her slightly from behind as if saying 'that's enough'.

"Andromeda, my dear!" She shouted from across the room and Andromeda's shoulders tensed as she looked back to the older woman.

"Yes, Minister?" She asked quietly, waiting for something to happen.

The Minister walked up to stand in front of the young girl, gripping her shoulders lightly. "You know, there always waiting. Even though they may have been dethroned when the Empire came here, they are still highly respected and given a nice place to stay. If you're ever straying from home and want to get back, give me a call. I would be more than welcomed to take you back." She gave her a large smile waiting for the happy expression to come flittering on the young girl's face but only a scowl protruded.

"They were never my family." She fumed before quickly turning on her heel and stalking off to the exit.

"Please, would you keep this for her?" She turned to Kanan with a pleading look as she held out the card.

"Yeah… sure…" He said unsure of what else to do as he took the card from her and stashed it in his pocket before quickly making is way to see Ezra and Andromeda talking softly.

(•-•)

Ezra quietly exited the conversation to make his way to Andromeda, who stood with her leg keeping her balanced against a wall, her head down, and arms crossed, the evident scowl on her face made Ezra just the slightest bit comfortable because of how used to it he was.

"Anne-Marie?" He asked softly, lightly touching her hand with his fingertips. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking up to the unbroken girl he had always seen starting to crumble just a bit.

"They were never my family." She said softly, he could hear her voice crack but was surprised so since she was talking so softly. Kanan came up beside the two putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up slightly giving him the smallest of smiles. "I am fine. They may have never been my family, but Ezra Bridger, you are my family now and always will be. And this crew, maybe they might become that for us as well." She said softly as she looked down at the young Padawan with glimmering eyes.

Ezra's eyes widened as he looked up at her in astonishment. He had never seen such emotion in her eyes or such knowing. She had always been slightly off when she reassured him but she seemed so defiant, so true to her word that he couldn't help rushing forward slightly and wrapping her in a bone crushing hug.

"Oof. Ezra, what's wrong?" She asked, raising her hand to stroke his hair gently.

"Yes, we'll be just fine."

"Quick, before anyone notices." Kanan said quickly, pulling Andromeda with him down a hallway as Ezra waited for his directions.

The two were walking a bit aimlessly as they waited for bay 7 to open up for them. Ezra's voice shook across there comm's as he began to talk into it. "Kanan, I thought you were gonna teach me Jedi stuff. So far, all I'm doing is thieving, and I already knew how to do that." Ezra stated slightly annoyed as he crawled around in the ventilation system.

"Just get to bay 7, open the door, and we all get paid." He replied lightly. The two continued walking in silence as they made their way to bay 7.

"Are you feeling okay?" Kanan asked, glancing over at the girl whose eyes fluttered around the area nervously.

"I am fine." She stated, annoyed from his concern.

"No need to get defensive. I just wanted to make sure." He said to her, raising his arms up in surrender.

"I said I'm fine, no need to worry about me." She said quietly, walking a couple steps ahead. She looked back briefly, only to sigh as her natural maternal instincts kicked in. "What about you?"

He was taken a back a bit. Sure, the crew was a family but he was the leader and it didn't seem fit for his crew to ask if he was 'okay'. "I'm… I'm fine. I just like to know if my crew is doing fine." He stated finally, with a bit of a solemn tone in his voice.

The two found their way to the door of bay 7 just as Sabine and Zeb joined them too. "Okay. I'm in bay 7." Ezra stated over the comm and a couple moments later the doors opened up for them. The three walked up to him, with a small smiles on their faces. Now Zeb, was a bit more patronizing as he clapped while walking up to him.

"Well, kid, you pulled it off." He said with a laugh.

"Was there ever any doubt?" He asked smugly as the three continued in, Kanan off to help Hera land her ship.

"Yes." Sabine and Zeb stated together pushing his shoulder in a playful manner.

"No." Andromeda whispered with a smile as she patted his shoulder, walking inside after them

Zeb opened one of the crates to see what was inside, only to look wide eyes into it jumping back in shock. "Karabast." He muttered to himself. Andromeda looked inside quietly her eyes going to the disruptors back to Zeb, she carefully walked over to him placing a hand on his shoulder.

When he thought of her ever trying to comfort someone other than Ezra, he had always seen it as uncomfortable and a bit cold as if she couldn't understand how someone could be so weak by the meager thing. But when he looked down to her average build to see the big, caring eyes and her touch was soothing and not uncomfortable he seemed to grow just a bit uncomfortable but a whole lot more reassured.

"Hey, it's okay. If anything they are going into the right hands, correct?" She asked softly, trying to reassure him. She reminded him of a mother duck, she seemed so taken with everyone on the ship and had already taken to looking out for all of them. Unlike Hera, who had always seemed that way was always staying back to be the escape route but she was there with all the action. She understood.

"Most likely not." He muttered but his shoulders relaxed and she smiled lightly up to him in a reassuring motherly manner.

"They're T-7 ion disruptors." Sabine stated, picking up one of the disruptors from out of the crate. "They were banned by the senate. You can short-circuit an entire ship with these." She stated, a bit too ecstatic with the weapon in her hands.

"That's not why they were banned." Zeb muttered as he continued to watch on with a bit of fright.

"Get 'em aboard before company comes." Kanan stated, as he closed up the crate and quickly the other four took two to a crate.

"Well, how do you expect it to be that easy?" Andromeda muttered to herself as her and Sabine pushed ahead of the other two boys with Kanan waiting for them in the docking bay of the ship.

"Hurry! We're running out of-" Kanan called as they continued to push the crates just a little faster only for Ezra to break all that hope.

"Time's up! We're busted." He stated to everyone as they looked to see a crew of Clones coming their way.

The Clones took to standing in formation in front of the two, while Sabine and Andromeda stood closer to the Ghost watching with Kanan beside them. "Hands up!" The leader Clone called out and Zeb was quick to put his up with a smug smile on his face for all to see. He began walking forwards, Ezra watching his astonished.

"What are you doing?" He seethed as Zeb continued forward.

"There a problem here?" He asked knowingly.

"Amda Wabo says those crates contain his disruptors." Minister Tua stated, not even noticing the young woman who she had earlier had quite the acquaintance with standoff to the side.

"Uh, must be some mistake. Can't possibly be disruptors in there 'cause they're illegal, right?" Zeb continued. Kanan turned to the two girls, pointing to Sabine to push the rest of the way with Andromeda coming with him, the two ran to Ezra where he sat couched behind his crate, shaking slightly.

"That's irrelevant." She claimed. "We're going to search your crates." She stated making it known.

"Be my guest." He said dismissively, waving a hand behind him.

Two Clones looked to each other, the leader standing letting his arm fall forward to instruct them. "Forward!"

The two passed by Zeb and he gave a menacing grin to those in front of him. "On second thought." He said to himself, before turning to grab the two Clones and chucking them at the others, knocking them down like bowling pins. "You want disruptors," He shouted as the men began to stand. "You gotta come through me!" He stated taking out his own weapon to knock them down, chanting and teasing the group that was coming to fight him.

Kanan turned to the two. "Get those crates aboard ship. Now!" He shouted as they ran up.

"Andromeda Callat!" The Minister shouted to her and the young her clenched her hands into the bar as she ran off towards the ship.

"That!" She yelled over her shoulder, her eyes cold and hollow. "Is not my name." She stated going up the ramp of the ship and inside its safety happily.

Sabine ran ahead of us, then we all stood waiting for the others to arrive. Chopper was first to enter, nudging at Andromeda slightly in affection as she took to staring off into space for quite a long time. She looked down to him, tapping his head slightly in amusement as two other Droids walked in behind him. The goody-two-shoes robot and the cute little blue one.

"Oh, look." Sabine amusedly said, her helmet still on as she looked over to the two. "Chopper made friends." She drawled looking up to the gold one.

"I am C-3PO, and this is my counterpart, R2-D2." The golden one said, R2-D2 spinning its head around happily when he was introduced. "I was translating for Minister Tua when we were attacked by thieves like, uh you." It continued, the three not listening any longer but the poor thing began to panic as Zeb stepped right beside it with a glare before continuing on, along with Kanan.

(•-•)

"We have company. Imperial droids." Kanan stated as they stood on ground floor with the two. Andromeda rolled her eyes at him, _yes we know. _"Spectre-5, let's get a couple restraining bolts on these two." He asked Sabine and she quickly nodded her head making her way up the ladder.

"Yup. On it."

"Spectre-6, Spectre-3, keep an eye on 'em." He asked, pointing to his eyes and back to the Droids for emphasis.

Andromeda stood on top of the balcony along with Zeb looking over to him reluctantly, a sort of sadness in her eyes.

"Right. That'll happen." Ezra scoffed, rolling his eyes as C-3PO toddled after Kanan exclaiming what had happened and what should be done.

"Kanan." Zeb called as he began to climb the ladder, Zeb scratched the back of his neck as if nervous. "A word?"

"Can it wait?" Kanan asked, a bit irritably. "If I don't confirm our rendezvous with Vizago, we'll have done all this for nothing." He said bitterly.

"Yeah, about that. Maybe this time we don't sell to Vizago, eh? Maybe we get those disruptors out of circulation instead." Zeb supplied trying his hardest to get Kanan to understand what these disruptors meant.

Sabine was scaling the ladder as she listened in before turning to Zeb trying to console him. "Least we got 'em out of Imperial circulation. When I was translating, I found out they were ship those T-7s as prototypes so the Empire could mass-produce them on Lothal." She went back down to ground floor and began tinkering with the Droids.

"See Zeb," Kanan consoled gripping his friend tightly to his side. "Perfect crime. We steal weapons meant for the Empire and see them for credits we desperately need to keep this bird flying." Andromeda gave a huff, her light bangs fluttering up and back down to cover her eyebrows, her dark eyes glaring slightly at the older man.

"Oh, hey." Sabine called from below. "If we need credits, maybe Vizago will buy those two Droids." Pointing back to seeing the nervous looking C-3PO and a passive R2-D2, a small piece of metal going back into its head. Andromeda raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"Yeah. Good idea."

(•-•)

Hera and Andromeda sat in the cockpit, talking quietly to each other when a door opened and the loud voice of Zeb sounded throughout the hallways. "And stay out!"

"You can't do that! It's my cabin too." Ezra proclaimed as he hit a gloved hand onto the door in annoyance.

"How do you want to deal with this?" Hera asked, understanding completely that Ezra was her guardianship so she, truly had no right to tell the kid what to do while she was standing there on supervision.

"You know, maybe for once we can take a switch. I'll take Zeb, you Ezra." Andromeda said with a small smirk. She nodded softly.

"Ezra?" She mused loudly as Andromeda stood to her feet, her brown ankle boots making quiet clicks along the floor. "Come in here."

Ezra walked past the doors lining the hallway and passed Andromeda with a bit of shock on his features. He watched for a moment as he watched her knock on the door to Zeb's room before walking inside, complaining to Hera.

(•-•)

Two taps and Zeb was fuming thinking the kid had made an ill move to come back. The door jerked open, even though being automatic, and he stood his mouth wide as if to yell only to look down on a small little lady looking up at him. Almost… disinterested.

"Are we going to talk or are you just going to stare at me all day?" She asked monotonous with a raised eyebrow. Zeb bowed his head in embarrassment before allowing her to step inside.

She walked softly, her head to the ground as she watched her gaze land on Ezra's messy bed. She quickly took comfort in sitting on it as Zeb took to sitting in a spare chair.

"What do you want to talk about?" He asked, his eyes averted as if nothing had been happening along the time of seeing those disruptors.

"Zeb." She consoled soothingly. "He's a child, he does not understand the full weight of this war but he understands enough of it." She began looking up from her hands up to his face. "You need to give him more credit, you cannot just keep yourself so guarded around him, he does not know you, he does not know your past, so he will continue to act as if everything is alright." Zeb deflated at her statement his eyes now downcast, he heard a light chuckle come from the young girl and for a second he saw a woman much older than she was. So heartbroken and sad, as if she had missed the world by a second. "I am curious if you heard Minister Tua of her exclamation of my royal past." She continued, but her gaze sat on an old picture on the wall.

"Yeah… I heard that." He said quietly rubbing his neck. Andromeda opened her mouth to continue only for Kanan to knock and the door opened.

"Oh, I'm sorry to disturb the conversation." He said quickly about to turn away.

She took a moment before taking the offer that sat inside her head. "No, no. It's alright. I should be going anyway." She muttered standing awkwardly. "Um," She started as she stood at the door. "They were never my family, like I said. I was just taken in, my life died when I was four on Taris the Empire taking over my planet." She whispered, before leaving the room.

(•-•)

Standing with Ezra down in the central room Andromeda looked down upon him with smirk on her pink lips. "Why didn't you talk to me about Zeb?" He whispered quietly so he couldn't be heard by the others.

"Because it's high time you learn to respect others, other than me." She stated as Kanan and Hera made their appearance in the room.

"Can we discuss this later?" Kanan asked as he climbed down the ladder with Hera right behind him.

"That's fine, love. But we will discuss it." She reprimanded as they stood facing everyone else.

The chattering of the blue droid caught Sabine's attention causing her to look down so she could listen. "Oh, right." She said to it before looking back to the rest of her friends. "This R2 says its real mission was to make sure the T-7s never reached the Empire, and that his master will pay handsomely for their return."

The leader of the crew rubbed at his chin with contemplation than giving his answer to the teenager. "I'll think about it."

"So, we're not selling the droids, but we're selling the T-7s? We don't even know who Vizago's buyer is." Zeb barked annoyed and frustrated at his leader that couldn't seem to see the bigger picture.

"We know it's not the Empire, and I already made a deal with Vizago." Kanan shrugged, turning into leader mode. "So let's get these crates off the boat."

(•-•)

"How about I stay on the ship this time? You seem to never get out of this ship." Andromeda asked Hera as the woman began to go towards the cockpit.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother." She asked quickly, eyes wide at the offer.

"I would not have asked if it were to be a bother." Andromeda stated with a small smile.

"Okay, thanks." Hera said with a sigh before walking off the ship with the others. Andromeda turned on her heel, walking to the cockpit waiting, and waiting, and-

The ground shook from the Walker's falling to the ground preparing to battle. Andromeda watched as Kanan shot one Walker down then getting blast down by the second. She quickly took her station and shot at the Walker, taking it down with ease. She watched in awe as the crew took to building the explosives and Zeb's fight, but there was only so much she could do from the inside.

Then, Andromeda's eyes widen considerably as she watched Ezra scream out and a man fly backwards away from Zeb. Her face formed a frown for just the slightest moment before turning into a proud smile as Hera dragged Ezra back to the ship with Chopper on her tail, then Sabine and the Droids running towards the ship too.

Only Kanan and Zeb were left and the latter was out cold on the floor. She was quick on her feet once Hera was inside the ship and took to help Kanan drag Zeb into the craft.

"Will he be okay?" Sabine asked curiously as Kanan helped readjust Zeb so not all the weight was dragging the once cool girl, to a struggling shake.

"Yeah." He groaned as he shifted looking to Kanan and Andromeda. "Thanks for helping, Andromeda." He said then looking back to Kanan with a knowing look. "Thanks, mate."

"Wasn't me." Kanan looked up to look at the shy Ezra. "It was Ezra." At that statement Ezra swelled with pride, his chest puffing up and his eyes gleaming. Zeb looked at him thankfully and he deflated a bit turning to a humble sense and gave the Lasat a nod. "And, Ezra, your formal Jedi training starts tomorrow, after I have a word with your 'mother'." He said with a small laugh with air quotations.

(•-•)

When Kanan finished dropping the Droids off with their previous master, he came back up to the ship's rooms and knocked on the door of Andromeda and Sabine. He heard a loud sort of noise coming from within before knocking only for it to be opened by Sabine who stood curiously at the door as loud music penetrated his ears.

"Yes?" She asked, looking up to him.

"I need to speak with Andromeda, and turn that music down." He muttered like an old man.

"Not me!" She defended before walking back inside to shake Andromeda up from her meditation.

"Yes?" Andromeda asked as she stood at the door.

"I want to smooth things over with you." He stated clearly as she looked up at him, his tall demeanor enclosing her smaller one causing her to step back a bit from the claustrophobic feeling she was getting.

"That's fine, let's go to the kitchen." She said before slipping around him so that she could lead the way. He sighed lightly seeing that dignified manner in her walk and it almost made him smirk at her seemingly 'bigger than life' stance only for her to be quite the opposite.

(•-•)

Sitting across from each other, Andromeda had made the two tea only for Kanan to take one sip before pushing it away from the bitterness.

"If you do not like it, you should add sugar." She muttered stirring a spoon around in her own cup.

"Let's get down to what I wanted to talk about." He said quickly, looking up at her dark eyes with his hands enclosed around each other on top of the table.

"And that is?"

"I wanted to ask if you're okay with me teaching Ezra." He said quickly, her eyes skimmed up to him.

"Why would I not?" She asked quietly as she sipped at her tea anxiously, wishing she had picked up a Kava tea from her room instead of the prudent taste the black tea she held had to offer.

"Because I can see it and sense it, its faint but it's there." He said as quietly as she had, trying not to get her against him, she tensed anyway.

"Viera Sa-Vin is dead to me." She muttered, placing her tea cup down and placing her hands on the table about to push herself out of the conversation.

"You were there." He rushed out, catching her attention. "When I was becoming a Jedi."

"I was training too you big oaf. But like everything else I mess up I ran away from it. That is why it is so weak to your sense, it is why Ezra has not felt it before." She whispered sadly, skimming the rim of her tea cup.

"You haven't run away yet." Kanan stated from his side, this time she did push her chair back.

But I am now." His face turned to distraught so quickly thinking she meant from this crew back to Lothal. "From this conversation." And with that she dashed out, her white hair that was held up in a long ponytail lightly whipped him in the face as she exited the room.

**Woohoo, I'm so happy. I actually got REVIEWS! I didn't actually expect any. You guys don't understand! I was literally checking up on it this morning at three to see two reviews and did a happy dance in the bathroom… heh heh.**

**I hope I didn't throw too much at you with the royalty thing and the her being a Jedi but I'm thinking next chapter might be about her younger years up until she met Ezra. **

**Well, have a good night. This is actually the quickest I've whipped up a story so you're welcome!**

**ALSO, for my reviewers thank you so much to first, TheUltimateAngela, and Booyahkasha. And to my lovely guest up there, I'm just curious as to what you think can be done to improve my story. Don't leave a brother hanging!**

**-3-**


	4. Peace Without the Kids

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PLOT OR CHARACTERS IN STAR WARS REBELS ONLY THE INFORMATION I ADD AND MY CHARACTERS. **I am only the person who fills up their gas.

Andromeda and Kanan were stacking up crates for shipment, lightly talking to each other from Ezra's Jedi training to just small things. It had been only three weeks aboard the Ghost and Andromeda could feel herself getting more comfortable around the crew, she could tell how she wasn't glaring coldly to anyone as often as she had, her patience had grown incredibly and she was allowing herself to be her soft, motherly self more often.

"You know, the kid has great potential for his powers, but he doesn't seem to take it seriously." Kanan was saying, making a new stack to the left side of the ship's hull.

Andromeda nodded solemnly. "That is just who he is. He takes things like a joke to push past them, it is not a very good habit but it helps him get through life." She said, lightly placing another crate on top of his.

"Well," He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face unable to think of a way to reply.

"You just need to teach him that, running away from problems does not do a person any good. I cannot teach him that," She said her shoulders slumping as she stood in front of her crate. "But maybe you can." She turned back to look at him as he set down another crate, he smiled warmly to her which made her grateful that he made her so comfortable, just like how the others did too. She felt so at home here, even though half the time they were at a life or death moment, but who cares.

In a moment's notice Ezra came running into the room not seeing the two working before almost running into Kanan. "Wooah." Just seconds later Zeb came barreling in, knocking down Ezra and knocking down all their hard work.

"Ezra?" Andromeda asked in a stern voice just as Hera walked into the room, an annoyed look branding her face as she made a noise to catch their attention. The two looked up, respectively with sheepish smiles and wide eyes.

"It's his fault!" The two exclaimed together, pointing to the other. Andromeda rolled her eyes before walking to the two and pulling them up off the ground. Her stern look making them quake a bit at the knees in fear.

Zeb though quickly took back at bantering other than stopping as the two younger women glared at him. "My fault? This is your fault." He exclaimed incredulous, pointing a finger at the young blue haired boy's chest.

"Don't go blaming this on me." Ezra shot back, standing on his tip toes as if he would magically grow to his height.

"Enough! This is my ship you're wrecking." Hera cut in, annoyed beyond her point as she made her way down to click a button. "And I want you off it." She said as the doors opened for her.

"Hera, be reasonable." The Lasat complied as she watched them unamused.

"Come on, Anne-Marie. You're my _mom, _she can't kick me out." Ezra begged, trying somehow to stay on this ship without getting booted out in the first couple weeks.

"Yes, she can, Bluebird. It is her ship and she makes the rules for it." Andromeda stated, crossing her arms with a slight glare. Ezra looked at her with begging eyes before turning back to Hera pleading.

"Come on. You know what he's like." Ezra began before a slip of green was in his hands and he looked down at it confused. "Uh, what's this?" He asked.

"A market list." She stated, hands on her hips. "The town of Kothal is two kicks to the South, and I'm sending you both on a supply run."

"With him?" They both asked, the idea seemed absolutely crazy in their minds.

"With each other."

"Oh." She began with a laugh before holding out her hand. "Don't even think about coming back without at least _one _meiloorun fruit. Clear?" She asked, her face stern as she looked them both in the eyes.

"Clear." They said, begrudgingly walk with a slump in their back. The two began messing with each other once more when they got off the ship headed for the South

"How do you expect them to find meiloorun on Lothal?" Kanan asked looking over to Hera with a smirk. Before hearing a grunting behind him from Andromeda who had already began restacking the crates.

(•-•)

Ezra was walking around Kothal, alone without Zeb. They had decided to split up and see if they could find what was on the list. Walking, he could remember all the times he had been to this town with Andromeda before hearing a name call out to him. "Ezra? Is that Ezra Bridger?" An older wheat haired man called out with a smile.

"Mr. Sumar?" He asked, quickly taking a detour to the older man.

"Ezra. Oh, look how you've grown. Here, have a jogan." He said with a smile placing the small fruit in his hand. "Where's your mother?" He asked with a small smile, the old man knew his true parents but loved to call Andromeda that to him. It just fit wonderfully.

"She's back at the… house. Kind of. Err, we've taken a new residence." He said a bit awkwardly, scratching his neck before quickly changing the subject. "Don't suppose you have any meilooruns?" Ezra asked curiously, with the hint of an innocent smile.

"Meilooruns?" Sumar laughed heartily before looking back to Ezra. "Meilooruns don't grow on Lothal." He said the hint of a smile still on his face.

"They don't?" Before sighing. "No. Of course they don't."

"I suppose you could find an off-world importer, but it'd cost you." Sumar replied helpfully and Ezra smiled back gratefully.

"Right. Well, great seeing you again."

"You too, Ezra. And tell Andromeda I say hello." He said with a wave as Ezra waved before turning his back and off he went.

(•-•)

Andromeda was taking a leisurely stroll through the ship before stopping where Sabine stood painting the room of Ezra and Zeb.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a laugh.

"Ezra said if I ever needed inspiration I could use him. So I took up his offer." She said with a laugh, as she took a quick peak before Sabine closed the door in and she took her time quickly walking to the main room to play the game Kanan and Chopper had been when she left.

(•-•)

"The kids being gone, it is very quiet on board. At least Sabine being a child is not causing too much of a ruckus." Andromeda said with a laugh as she walked into Chopper and Kanan starting a new game.

"What is she doing?" He asked tiredly.

"A new project." She said with a smirk from the corner of her eye.

Kanan laughed at her statement as he chose his holographic piece. "Well, without the two work and relaxation can be done." He said with a sigh, leaning his head back a bit to look at her in a new angle.

"True, half the time my meditations or aroma therapy sessions are interrupted by those two. Well… usually Zeb because Ezra knows what happens if I do not complete those." She said with a smile, looking down at her hands.

"And what happens if you don't finish them?" He asked curiously, pressing a button to open up a new character for the game since his other one just got killed.

"I do not sleep and then I become irritable and rash the next day." She said quietly. Kanan sat up a bit more looking at her guilty.

"Did I?" He asked not even having to ask fully because she knew he was speaking of when he wanted to ask of Ezra's Jedi training.

She laughed softly and looked over to him. Those gray eyes seemed softer somehow than the first time they met, instead of a storm raging inside they seemed like just an average cloud passing through, holding all that water inside herself. Holding in all her problems. He sighed at this thought but she began talking. "No, I drank chamomile tea later to help me sleep. I had no idea of it when I was younger though so he just remembers when I would ground him for a month for walking out onto the porch." She smiled, pressing one of the attack buttons on his game allowing it to take away quite the damage from Chopper's own.

"Do you lean towards tea for most of your soothers?"

"Yes, well I do not like taking medicine, it makes me jittery and not in control of myself. But tea like chamomile allow you to have control over if you want to sleep or not." She confirmed making him physically relax. Chopper got annoyed with the game, quickly rolling out of the room with strangled beeps. Andromeda watched amused at the child like droid before pulling out a chair to play also.

The two sat like that for a few minutes until Hera walked in to the two playing with a small smile on her lips as she watched the two. Kanan looked over to her as one of his characters took Andromeda's, her face stretched into annoyance as she quickly took to getting back at him, killing both. He turned to a frown before stating to Hera, "We were just talking about how peaceful it is without the kids." He said softly while quickly taking to push a button harshly bringing back one of his guys back to half a life, only for it to be killed and block letters of Game Over were shown to him and WINNER! to Andromeda.

"Yeah, but I'm feeling a bit guilty about sending them-" Her face was in guilt but Kanan chuckled looking over to the twenty-four year old woman with a comforting look.

"On a wild meiloorun chase?"

"Spectre-4 to Ghost." Zeb called across the comm.

"Ah, right on cue." Hera said with an awkward smile pulling out her own comm. "Go ahead, Spectre-4."

"Right. Well, we've had a bit of a problem." Zeb began, his voice shaking just a bit.

"I thought you might." She said relaxing, relaxing into her seat. "Look, don't worry about the meilooruns." She said and Ezra came right back.

"Yeah, meilooruns. Uh, we found some. But we lost lost them. Then we found them again. But we smashed them." Ezra was nervous and Andromeda could imagine the sheepish smile and the habitual hand rubbing his neck.

"Just cut to the chase kid." Zeb muttered, annoyed.

The sounds of an engine came along the line and the three sat up quickly, eyes wide and backs straight. "Wait! What am I hearing? It sounds like-"

Ezra quickly cut across Kanan with a desperate excuse that never came up. "Yeah, about that. See, um well… we stole a TIE fighter." He said quickly.

"You what?" He and Andromeda yelled into the comm.

"He's taking it better than I thought." Zeb said to Ezra quietly, a bit amused and just the tiniest bit scared.

"You are both grounded for a month!" Andromeda shouted at them.

"But mom." They said, jokingly but in the same whiny tone as a child, which they were.

"Also, get rid of it." Kanan added.

"Do we have to?" They said once more, pouting but knowing they couldn't see them.

Kanan sighed at their antics before continuing. "At least tell me you dismantled the locator beacon."

"Of course. We're not fools." Zeb reassured but the whisper voice of 'under there' and 'the red wire' showed that they had not.

"Well, which one?" Ezra asked a bit louder.

"It's the red and the blue." Kanan bit out and the two snapped to attention before Ezra quickly fixed the problem.

"Right. Got it." He said before noticing the mistake and quickly started to chuckle nervously. "I-I mean got it a long time ago. You know, back when we first boarded. Right away. Immediately." He continued not helping his case.

"Stealing a TIE causes unwanted attention. And unwanted attention equals your heads dismantled from your body." Andromeda seethed from across the line. "And I don't just mean because of the Impire." The two gulped at her statement.

"Rendezvous at Shadow Site 2. Fly straight there. Do not stop! And don't do anything!" Kanan all but shouted at them.

"On our way. Spectre-4 out." Zeb replied and then they were cut off.

Hera began to laugh lightly. "You didn't have to ground them for a month." She said happily, the smirk on her lips told her that she didn't really mind.

"I was about to say three so there lucky, Ezra knows how harshly I get when grounding him so this is like a leeway." She replied with a small laugh herself as she reset the game she had previously been playing for the two.

(•-•)

The three stood outside, it had been way past the time the two should have been back and they were beginning to worry. "Ah, they should have been here by now." Kanan said glumly as they looked around.

"Over there!" Hera announced moments later and they could see the two's shadows in the distance.

"One fresh meiloorun, as ordered." Zeb said kindly as he tossed the fruit to her with a small smile.

"Thank you, kind sir." Hera said pleased, making a slight bow to the older man.

"Team effort." Zeb said happily knocking into Ezra's shoulder playfully.

"Forget about the fruit. Where's the TIE fighter?" Kanan asked, annoyed and paranoid that they would have to go on a high speed chase through the galaxy today.

Zeb sighed, shoulders slumping. "I crashed it."

Ezra jumped in front of him to catch Zeb for making it sound as if on accident. "On purpose. Uh, we didn't want it to fall back into the Empire's hands." He said calmly, lifting his new helmet.

Kanan looked at them harshly for a few more seconds before he broke out into a grin. "That's what I like to hear." The two walked back inside leaving Andromeda with a stoned face, arms crossed, and her foot tapping impatiently.

"Uh, so are we still grounded?" Ezra asked quietly walking slowly to her.

"Yes." She said turning on her heel quickly. "I will give you a list tomorrow of what needs to be done."

The two sighed, at least they had now to goof off.

Kanan, Hera, and Andromeda stood in the hull of the ship talking quietly before the two children came crashing into the room shouting "It's his fault."

"You can start your chores now, by cleaning up these crates." Andromeda stated annoyed looking down at them, raising a dark eyebrow at the two when they sighed, but got up anyway cleaning their mess. The rest of the crew snickering to themselves.

**Haha, sorry this one is so short but since this episode is centered around Ezra and Zeb creating a more comfortable relationship it just was. But I did try to get her and Kanan to interact more since she seems to hang around the others a bit more. She just is uncomfortable still but still trying to make that effort instead of drinking tea and meditating for hours. Shrug.**

**Oh and to my reviewer who asked if she is a Jedi, technically no she is not but she did begin training as one but then later ran away like she said last chapter so she never ranked up to a Jedi, only a Padawan. I'm not sure who her master would be, I might have jotted it down somewhere, maybe Ewan McGregor… I mean Obi-Wan haha haha. Yeah…**

**Thanks guys for reviewing I get really excited every time I get an email but it's not really a review… **

**Have a good night or day. **

**-3- RRR please**


	5. Tension

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS OR THE PLOT ONLY MY CHARACTERS AND ADDED INFORMATION. I am only the light saber shop down on 43****rd**** street.**

**3 reviews for this chapter.**

"We're going to have a training today, would you like to watch?" Kanan asked seeing the white haired woman standing in the kitchen making tea. She turned around with the mug in her cold hands and smiled hesitantly to the Jedi.

"Uh, yeah. Sure. Why not?" Andromeda fiddled with the cup before following after the man. He gave her a reassuring smile as they got to the roof. Zeb and Ezra were already up there, talking to each other loudly since trying to goof around would just cause one or the other to fall off the ship. They still goofed off anyway.

"Ezra, it's time to start." Kanan dismissed the two onlookers and the two sat on the other side of the roof, sitting and watching to see what would unfold for the young Padawan.

After a while of simple warm-ups, Kanan led the fourteen year old boy to the cannon and told him to do a handstand on top of it. "Focus. Focus on letting go." Kanan called to him calmly, Andromeda watched and noticed how Kanan had become very close to Ezra. Almost like a father to him, awkwardly at the realization Andromeda shifted around in her seat before clearing her head with a sip of tea.

"Letting go? Rather hold on, if you don't mind." Ezra supplied snarkily, as he went from two arms to one every couple of seconds.

"Enough jokes. Focus." He chastised, Ezra rolling his eyes but continued.

A few seconds of keeping his mouth shut he groaned. "I'm trying."

"Do or do not. There is no try." Kanan quoted from Master Yoda. The swan-like woman perked at this quote and raised an eyebrow, she could tell what he was trying to do but it made absolutely no sense to reality.

"What does that even mean? How can I do something if I don't try to do it?" Ezra scoffed.

"Well, see…" Kanan began with an intelligent finger held up before actually thinking back on it and turning his head down in thought, grumbling. "Actually, that one always confused me too. But Master Yoda sure used to say it a lot." Kanan reassured, he heard a laugh come from behind him and took a glance back to see the woman laughing. It was quite the sight since she never really laughed, she only laughed under her breath or other soft things but not the one that carried out into the wind. He smiled lightly and she looked up at him eyes gleaming.

"Practice what you preach, that is what Master Kenobi used to tell me over tea when we would talk." Andromeda said to Kanan with a small smile. "If you are going to tell him something, _you _must understand what you are teaching him. Not just what you think may help him." She said wisely, then taking another sip of her tea.

"You- what?" Ezra began but in an instant Zeb had stood up and Andromeda's eyes had widened enormously. She had never really told Ezra of her past. She watched as Zeb began to shake around the cannon causing him to fall.

"Does he have to be here?" Ezra complained to Kanan as the Jedi tried to help him out of the crate. The Padawan angrily snapped his arm away from him and he noticed how much like Andromeda he was in that five seconds.

"He's annoying, but there will always be distractions." Kanan commented as he stood at the front of the ship to look out at the expanse of the clouds. "You need to learn to focus through them." He glanced back cautiously before fully turning with a big smile on his face. "Here, let's try something else."

Kanan pulled out his light saber as he walked up to Ezra handing it to him. "When do I get my own?" Ezra asked, a cute smile replacing his scowl from before.

Kanan wrapped a hand around the boy and glared down at him, as if trying to sink the information into his head. "Having a laser sword doesn't make you a Jedi."

"Gets me closer." He sighed before turning it on, almost taking off Kanan's head.

"Ezra, be careful with that thing!" Andromeda called at the same time that Kanan shouted "Careful!"

"There's a control on the side that adjusts the length to your height." Kanan stated after moving out of the way and behind the light saber wielding kid. Ezra pressed the button, the light saber going down and Zeb made a curt laugh.

"I think it should be a little shorter." He said, motioning with his hands also. Ezra and Andromeda turned to look at him and the laughing Chopper with the same furrowed brow and tucked in lips. Kanan couldn't help but smile just the smallest bit.

Kanan and Ezra separated, the elder instructing him. "Okay close your eyes." Ezra's eyes shut. "Let him have it, Chopper." Kanan stated looking down at the droid. Chopper began to spin his arms around while Zeb threw trash to him, which he threw at Ezra… who got pulverized by the first couple of milk bottles that were thrown his way. "Be precise." Kanan continued. "Keep the blade" Ezra was hit again, making the Cowboy Jedi groan. "Up."

"That's it kid," Zeb cackled continuing to throw them at him. "Use your body to slow down the trash." He continued to laugh until he was thrown out of the way by the young woman who had been watching. Then she kicked the droid a bit to nudge him out of her way also.

"Feel for it." She called to him softly, throwing up the trash and right to Ezra who took one last try before he slipped on a loose piece of trash sliding down the ship with a groan, past Sabine which he got distracted by and waved to before he slipped so that he was falling.

"Oh goodness!" She called, scrambling to the side along with Kanan to see him falling. She began to panic, nervously wringing her hands and jumping from foot to foot.

Kanan snapped to look at her with an annoyed glance. "Andromeda! Calm down." He barked at her which only made her little dance continue. _What was it the kid said to her? _He thought for a moment. "Breathe! Breathe." He told her quickly. "You have to help me Andromeda or I will never save the kid." He said to her worriedly looking down seeing him almost through the clouds.

"O-Okay." She said softly, shaking softly she closed her eyes and relaxed herself breathing deeply and pulling him up.

Ezra was at first falling to his death before gravity decided to give up on him and sent him back towards the ship. The whole crew had gone to save the kid, when he was shot up instead of just seeing Kanan there pulling him up he saw another fidgeting figure right beside him. The door to the ship opened and Zeb appeared waiting to pull him in. The two lost their will and Ezra began to drop again just as Zeb pulled him in. Chopper pulled up right behind him and sent another piece of trash at the boy before laughing, until he was kicked in the side by the nervous girl.

"Ezra!" She shouted, running over to Ezra and picking the kid up off of Zeb and dusting him off. "You are okay right?" She asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you okay?" He asked quietly holding her thin hand.

"Me, I'm ahaha I'm fine." She laughed nervously, he could feel her hand shaking and noticed how her eyes wouldn't meet his.

"Come on, I'll make us some kava tea." He said with a small smile leading her inside.

"You weren't focused." Kanan quipped when they had all gotten back inside.

"Tough to focus when I'm falling to my death." He shot back annoyed, looking over to Kanan fiercly.

"You wouldn't have been falling t your death if you were focused." The Jedi shot back, before continuing without thinking. "You're undisciplined and full of self-doubt."

Andromeda slipped in front of Ezra, she reminded Kanan much like a lioness protecting her cub. She glared up at the older man and began her rant. "I do not see it fit for you to be criticizing my skills of raising him. You have no right to be rude after he has almost died."

"He needs to focus and understand what it is that he's missing." Kanan shot back, pointing around her to the kid.

"He is a child, and I remember the Jedi order and they did not make us fall to our deaths to understand what he should be doing." She said annoyed.

"I am his teacher and I will do as I see fit." His voice raised as he glared down at her.

"I am his mother and I will not allow you to let him die in the first ten minutes of training."

"You're the one who threw the bottle to him." He hit hard and Andromeda's eyes narrowed turning into a storm as she clenched her jaw and crossed her arms.

"Come along, Ezra. Let us get that tea before I do something rash." She said still glaring before she strictly turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

"Like what?" He called after her. "What could you do to me?" He laughed after her.

"Something like this." There was a loud crack and feet stomping away and a red mark across Kanan's face.

"She just-" Sabine began laughing. "She just _punched _you."

"Shut it, Sabine." Kanan growled stomping off to his own room.

(•-•)

"You just-" Ezra began as the two walked down the hallway.

"Yes."

"And earlier-"

"Not now."

"But-"

"_Ezra."_

He sighed, looking down to his feet. "Fine. But when?"

"Not now."

"Hey guys, I know you and Kanan had a whole fight but I think there's something you want to see." Sabine called across the comm and Andromeda sighed before answering.

"What is it?"

"Something you want to see." She said with a smile in her words and Andromeda sighed turning the two around, back towards the hull.

The two walked into the room to see a holonet beginning to play before their eyes. "Citizens, this Senator-in-exile Gall Trayvis." A static voice began as the face of the senator came across. "I bring more news the Empire doesn't want you to hear."

Ezra stood between Hera and Kanan with Andromeda standing beside her enemy at the moment with a scowl as she watched on.

"What's a Gall Trayvis?" Ezra asked, looking up to Andromeda who just continued to scowl as if she didn't hear him (which she didn't). Hera sighed and answered him.

"The only member of the Imperial Senate with the courage to speak out publicly against the Empire." She said passionately.

The holonet continued just after she spoke. "One of the Republic's greatest peacekeepers, Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, is alive." Despite having fought only five minutes before the two survivors (kind of) of order 66 looked to each other with wide eyes. "She has been imprisoned unlawfully somewhere in the Stygeon system." Trayvis' voice got harsher as he continued his speech and the scenes unfolded to show Master Unduli. "As citizens, we demand the Emperor produce Master Unduli and grant her a fair trial before the entire Sen-"

Trayvis was cut off and the previous seeing was back up. "…marking another successful planetary liberation utilizing the Base Delta Zero initiative."

Ezra looked up to the fighters with a solemn look. "This Luminara… you guys knew her?" He asked quietly, it was still new to him that Andromeda could have been a Jedi before she met him.

"I met her. Once." Kanan concluded.

"I have only heard beautiful tales of her from Master Kenobi." She broke and knew it but there was no hiding her past of those days now. So many things of her past were being thrown out into the open and it was scaring her how vulnerable she was getting with these people.

"She was a great Jedi Master. Brave, compassionate, disciplined." Kanan mulled over it, putting a hand on Ezra's shoulder. "In fact, she's make an excellent teacher for you." Ezra made a face but Kanan didn't notice as he turned to Hera, trying to understand this proceeding that had just happened. "There've always been rumors she survived the Clone Wars, but they never came with a specific location before. We can't pass this up." He stated nobly and Hera gave him her soft, sisterly smile as she set her hand comfortingly on his armored shoulder.

"Was hoping you'd say that. I'll set course for the Stygeon system." She left the room and Kanan turned to the rest.

"The rest of you, prep for an op." Everyone left the room but Ezra and Andromeda still a bit awkward when it came to missions aboard the Ghost. He was so downcast the Andromeda couldn't help but walk closer to him.

"You hear that?" He laughed quietly to himself. "He's done with me. He's gonna pawn me off on some stranger."

"Ezra…" She tried to reassure.

"Don't defend him! You guys just got into a huge fight about this. Maybe it's better if I'm done with them." He said harshly with a glare that could beat hers and he quickly jogged out of the room.

(•-•)

Hera pulled her crew into hyperspace before turning to see Sabine begin her spiel about the Spire. "Welcome to the Spire on Stygeon Prime, the only Imperial detainment facility in the Stygeon system." She said happily looking at the hologram in front of her face. "And it's impregnable."

"That's never stopped us before." Kanan observed as she gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Trust me, we have never faced anything like this before." She turned back to the Spire with a smile as she watched it spin in fascination. "It's a real work of art. Blast proof, ray shielded, protected by anti-ship weapons, TIE fighters and short and long range scanners." She listed on her fingers as she looked around to everyone.

"We can fool the scanners." Hera stated, something to get the Empire off their backs, just a little bit may be all they need.

"Eh, maybe." The fire haired girl shrugged. "But that just leaves an army of troopers and guard posts on all the walls. Look, even if we get into this beauty, the hard part's getting out. 'Cause you know… it's a prison." She said knowingly.

"What about going in low and sneaking onto this platform?" Ezra asked pointing to a small section of the holonet.

"Platofrm has a heavy trooper presence and reinforced blast doors. Impossible to get in or out that way."

"Here." Kanan said tapping his finger on the hologram so that where he touched a red line would follow. "There's only room for a couple guards. We take them down, make our way to the upper level isolation cells, free Luminara and come back out the way we came in."

"Yeah." Sabine rolled her eyes. "You'd have to be crazy to try that lousy plan."

Kanan grinned with all his teeth showing. "Let's hope the Empire thinks so too."

(•-•)

The crew, excluding Chopper, had made their way into a smaller, more easily accessible ship that was connected to the Ghost. Across the comm Chopper was babbling haughtily about how he was being left behind. Zeb smirked digging out the comm and replied. "Oh, I'm sorry, Chop. We just don't need your damaged logic circuits on this one." He said happily when the droid answered back annoyed.

"Thirty seconds." Hera called back to them. "Good luck."

"Luck? We're gonna need a miracle." Zeb muttered back to her, a bit nervous.

"Here are three." Sabine supplied as she handed Ezra and him one while Andromeda and Kanan stood together towards the front a bit tense.

"Uh, so… I guess. Sorry." He said looking over to her with a nervous shrug.

"You guess?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as she continued to look forwards.

"Ugh, no I mean-" He groaned before looking back to Ezra. "Try to stay focused."

"Was that supposed to be your apology? Guess that you were sorry but then counter it with telling him to stay focused." She asked a bit annoyed and just the slightest bit amused at how he would react.

Just as the two were about to jump out Ezra snarkily commented. "Though there was no 'try'." Kanan rolled his eyes before jumping with Andromeda hot on his tail. The two took one each and were quickly taking them down, not truly revealing themselves. Kanan pulled out some old nerve blocks that would make the Clone standing in front of him weak while Andromeda just took to throwing punches at the man.

"Nice and quiet like." Kanan muttered as the two Clones were down, just as he said those words Ezra fell to the balcony and rolled into the door slamming into it. The two cringed before glaring at him.

"What just happened? You were supposed to exit with Zeb." Kanan whisper shouted, while Andromeda stood behind him tapping her foot silently. "You're lucky every storm trooper in the prison doesn't know we're here." Just then the door beeped and the three anticipated what was beyond the door.

"Nice going, hot stuff." She said but the two boys didn't know which one she was talking to as she slinked in front of them her arms at the ready.

Zeb and Sabine jumped down to them as the four storm troopers appeared in front of them. Andromeda was the first to them quickly punching one hard enough that he went skidding across the landing, before being kicked down. Kanan took the next throwing him off with the force. Sabine took a few seconds longer dragging him out and quickly tossing him over with Zeb behind her throwing one like a Frisbee over board.

"Stunts like that put us all in jeopardy. That is exactly why you need Master Luminara to teach you discipline." Kanan seethed out angrily poking the kid in the arm.

"I was just following your example." Ezra said swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Yeah? Well, try to stay focused and follow the plan instead." Kanan ground out as Sabine stood at the door trying to open it.

"I hate to interrupt, but we need the kid to unlock the door." She said quickly, ushering him over.

"You don't need to tell him every five minutes that he's undisciplined." Andromeda croaked from behind him, he turned slightly to see her tapping her foot angrily but her face was turned away as if in pain.

"Wha-"

"I know I never did him much good, he was just already so independent when I first met him. It's hard to change someone after they are so accustomed to the life they had before." She said quietly. "But it does hurt him when you say this, and it hurts me too!" She told him annoyed.

"I… I am not trying to say he is undisciplined." He said and she looked at him annoyed and confused. "No, that came out wrong. He is undisciplined to others around him, he does not understand how to stand with others. He is so used to it only being you, that it's hard for him trust others." He sighed out long and Ezra called out that he opened the door. He turned away from her and her own shoulders slumped at what he was trying to say.

The crew walked in Ezra and Andromeda side by side after Kanan let his anger out by bumping shoulders with him.

"You're welcome." He waved to them, like a smartass before Andromeda quickly smacked him behind the head. "Ow! What's with you being so violent today?" He asked.

"You are doing a job. Not a favor." She muttered to him, then speeding up a bit so she was two steps ahead of him.

"I sense her presence, but it's clouded." He said quietly as he stood at the head his eyes shut, looking for her force trace. The others ran forwards past the astonished Jedi, Sabine hacking into the system quickly.

"Where's Master Unduli?" He asked walking carefully up to them.

"Detention block CC-01. Isolation cell 0169." She read off.

"They have isolation cells on the lower levels? We planned off outdated schematics." Kanan stressed, now mulling over how they hadn't thought of a backup plan.

"Do you have a backup plan?" Andromeda asked looking to him, her arms crossed as usual, her glare sent shivers down his spine as he answered her.

"Figuring one out right now. Zeb, Sabine, you're coming along." He ordered walking to the elevator with Andromeda behind him.

"Weren't we suppose to hold our escape route here?" Zeb asked confused not comprehending what had changed.

"Now the turbo lift is our escape route. Let's go." Kanan called as the crew clambered into the room.

"His plan gets worse all the time." Sabine scoffed looking down at Sabine.

"Just hope he doesn't change it again." Zeb said with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm standing right here." Kanan made known as he pointed down where he stood, the two who gave no indication that they cared.

"We know." They said together with a shrug.

(•-•)

Once out of the lift the doors to the next door opened, Kanan peeking out before dragging the two Jedi out of the way and into the small hallway just to know them out.

"Show off." Andromeda scoffed, (the same as when she first met him) and he gave her a wry smile.

"Maintain comm silence." Kanan demanded as the three stepped out. "And whatever you do, hold this lift." The three were in the hallway now as two more Jedi came barreling down, knocked out instantly by Andromeda colliding her fist in one and Kanan forcing them both out of the way.

"You guys really aren't messing around tonight." Ezra said as the three stood together, a bit hostile to one another from the days' proceedings.

"There's a lot more at stake than you realize." He said before walking around the bodies and out of the large hallway.

"I call doing it!" Andromeda called happily as they walked down the hallway. Kanan sighed.

"Fine."

They appeared to see two Clones guarding the prison room that held Master Unduli, discussing the woman who was held inside. Andromeda walked causually in the hallway before the two noticed her.

"He-"

"Shouldn't you be guarding the Jedi's cell? It's on the next level." She asked as if she were truly curious.

"It's on the next level." One of the Clone's repeated.

"You better get moving." She continued.

"We better get moving." The other responded and the two quickly rushed off to the next level. Ezra and Kanan quickly drew in from around the corner, Kanan giving her a reassuring smile. She hadn't done it in so long, it felt foreign to her.

"When do I learn that?" Ezra asked watching Andromeda in awe.

"Luminara will teach you much better than I could." Kanan said, with self-doubt. Andromeda glared at him and his unknowing hits to the heart he was making to Ezra. As she was about to speak the door opened to see Master Unduli sitting on her bed quietly.

"Is that her?" Ezra asked as they walked in, Andromeda trailing behind.

"Master?" Kanan asked, she looked up to see him before standing and walking to the coffin to the side of the room to show her decaying body stashed inside of it. The three gasped unpleasantly and Ezra quickly reached out to grip at his mother's hand.

"What happened to her? I don't understand." Ezra asked looking from one Jedi (kind of) to the other.

The three had been so submerged in their thoughts of another dead Jedi they didn't notice the man who stood at the doorway smirking at the three with glowing eyes.

"No?" The three gasped at his voice turning to him, defensively. Andromeda quickly pushing the child back behind her standing tall to hide him. "It doesn't seem complicated." He began down the steps. "I am the Inquisitor." He whipped out his light saber. "Welcome." His smile showed off his sharp teeth and menacing happiness. Kanan following suit flashed off his own light saber, trying to protect the two who stood behind him.

"Yes, I'm afraid Master Luminara died with the Republic." He said with a fake sadness rolling around his words. "But her bones continue to serve the Empire luring the last Jedi to their ends."

"Spectre-3, come in. It's a trap." Ezra said quickly into his comm.

"There will be no reinforcements." The Inquisitor said to the solemn look on the boy's face after the static came across the comm.

"Interesting. It seems you trained with Jedi Master Depa Billaba." The Inquisitor said lightly as he looked down at his prey.

"How- Who are you?" Kanan asked but before the Inquisitor was able to answer he was pulled away from Kanan and thrown into a wall. He looked up to see Andromeda standing tall about to pull something else. As she rose her arms he contracted his light saber and quickly threw it at her, hitting her right in the head and knocking her out. He smiled looking at her lying form, the shout the young boy made and quickly picked up his light saber so he could deal with the more advanced one first. She wouldn't be too hard to get rid of.

He sensed the man behind him about to attack, then quickly turned so he was backing the man towards the coffin. "In close quarter fighting, Billaba's emphasis was always on form three, which you favor to a ridiculous degree." He taunted with that stupid smile still on his face.

Ezra had been standing behind the two for a few moments looking down at his hands to the detonator and quickly pulled back his electric shots. The bald man quickly turned as if it were merely a pest and vanished his shot with his sword.

He quickly turned back to the man who had taken to making a war call, only to jump at his slice and quickly kick him down in the back of his head. "Clearly, you were a poor student." He said highly as Kanan laid on the floor. At the statement Ezra shot fires at him quickly, one by one they were soaked into his armor and coursed through him as if a nice warmth had only spread through him. "Is that really all you've got my boy?" He asked, arms out in acceptance. Ezra made a signal to Kanan quickly before pointing back to the detonator.

"Well I've got that." Kanan ran over to Andromeda, throwing her over his shoulder and running out of the room once the explosion hit, the Inquisitor right behind them.

(•-•)

The Inquisitor caught up to the three, quickly embracing the single handed Jedi in battle quickly, not even minding if he nicked her. He looked back to Ezra with a dark gleam in his bright eyes. "Are you paying attention, boy? The Jedi are dead, but there is another path… the Dark Side." He called, luring in Ezra with the prospect of life.

"Never heard of it?" Ezra shrugged back, only watching to make sure Kanan didn't kill his family. On accident of course. Kanan readjusted her on his shoulder and Ezra noticed the slip of his hand land on her butt and quickly let a small smile out at the comic relief. He quickly shot out one of his lasers to the bald Imperial activist only for it to be blocked and himself be thrown back into the wall.

"Have you taught him nothing?" The Inquisitor asked as Kanan took the moment to set the girl down and went back to his fight with much more ease with the weight of her off his shoulders, more physically than mentally though.

"Do you really think you can save the boy and the woman? For their sakes, surrender." He continued to taunt.

"I'm not making deals with you." Kanan panted looking up through his lashes at him.

"Hmm. Then we'll let him make one, shall we?" The Inquisitor asked standing to full height before sending Kanan slamming back down the hallway and passing out himself. "Your master and his counterpart cannot save you, boy." He stated with a crooked smile once more. "He is unfocused and undisciplined." He factually stated.

Ezra glared harshly at the man standing before him and quickly pulled back his fire. "Then we're perfect for each other." His shots never hit and the bald man started forward, Ezra used his old skills to jump around him to the other side of him leaving Andromeda behind the Inquisitor.

"I so admire your persistence." He said with a smile starting to slowly twirl his light saber around in his hands. "Ready to die?" He asked, raising his light saber at the same time that Kanan lifted his head.

"NO!" He shouted lifting the Inquisitor up to the ceiling to give Ezra space to run. "Run!" He shouted as Ezra quickly began to jog, pulling Andromeda up by the underside of her arms and dragging her over to them. Ezra patted Kanan as he slumped over from the weirdness of blacking out. A whirring hit both of their ears and they looked up to see the Inquisitor standing with a smirk as his light saber began rotating quickly. Quickly standing to his feet, Kanan picked up the girl and began pushing Ezra forward.

"Does yours do that?" Ezra asked in awe.

"Come on? Let's go." He asked, just the smallest bit annoyed. The two took off running and found Sabine standing at the end of one hallway showing them the path to freedom.

"Figured out this was a trap?" Kanan asked turning to Sabine as they ran.

"Yeah. Luminara?"

"She's long gone."

"What happened to Andromeda?"

"Knocked out. New exit?"

"The landing platform."

"Thought it was impossible to get out that way."

"Well, let's hope the Empire thinks so too." She quoted to him, turning so she could smile cheekily at him even behind her helmet.

The Inquisitor merely walked behind them before calling out "secure the facility" over the PA.

"Well that's not helpful." Ezra stated as they began to run through the holes of the closing doors, with the Inquisitor increasing his speed also. The last one was held open by Zeb and the crew was through quickly leaving the Inquisitor to sear an opening for himself with his lightsaber.

Sabine walked to the opening buttons only to be locked out. "Ezra?" She called her voice trembling just the slightest. He walked over putting his little gadget into it before getting shocked and fall back.

"Sorry." He apologized looking over to her.

"Ezra!" Kanan shouted pulling him up by the arm forcefully before wlaking so they stood in front of the gate. "Together."

"Seriously?" He asked, unsure of himself.

"Yes. Picture the locking mechanism in your mind." Kanan instructed the two closing their eyes and holding their hands out, even with Kanan still clutching the knocked out Andromeda did he still have the strength to do this.

The Inquisitors light saber began to cut open the door and quickly took to their arms. "Excuse me," Zeb called out. "but cane we train Ezra later?!"

The gate groaned open and Ezra smiled happily at his success before it fell once more to see the Clones standing in front of them shooting immediately.

"Spectre-5 to Phantom. We're on the landing deck, ready for pickup." Sabine called out.

"On my way, SPectre-5." She said calmly, Sabine thinking her done almost put her comm away before hearing her last statement. "And I'm bringing the fleet?"

"We have a fleet?" Zeb asked looking down to Sabine.

"We do now." She said, just a bit excited to show off her new find. The Phantom rose and so did the new creatures attacking the Clones along with the Rebels. They ran off quickly to the decending Phantom and running inside, Kanan quickly turning to set the light saber headed their way and deflect it quickly.

Standing inside the Phantom Zeb looked down to Kanan with a bit of a laugh in his voice. "Does yours do that?"

(•-•)

Kanan had set Andromeda next to Ezra before standing to speak with Hera about their mission.

"Master Luminara?" She asked as he stood leaning against her chair.

"Gone. We'll have to find a way to spread the word." He said to her quietly.

"How's Ezra taking it?" She asked worriedly. "And Andromeda."

"I'm not sure about her, but he isn't taking it as bad as I am."

Ezra sat in his seat with Andromeda sat in his lap with a look of sadness across both of their faces. He weaved his fingers soothingly through her hair as he listened to their conversation.

(•-•)

Andromeda had awoken later that day, a couple minutes before landing and she sat in the kitchen quietly. She watched as Ezra left the room with a sad look on his face and made his way to the extended door.

Kanan afterwards followed standing behind him. "Look, don't bother saying it. I'm letting you off the hook." Ezra said harshly, his guard up as it had been the first time they had met a couple months ago.

"What are you talking about?" He asked questionably looking down at the boy confused.

"I know you wanted to dump me on Luminara. Just 'cause she's gone doesn't mean you're stuck with me. But uh, you know, you don't need to dump Andromeda too. I've seen how she's come out around you guys and I don't want her to lose that." He said, truly concerned for the young woman.

Kanan sighed, planting a hand to his face before walking down to sit next to the young kid. "Look, I just wanted you to have the best teacher." He reassured.

"Well, I don't want the best teacher. I want you." Ezra exclaimed. Kanan perked at this surprised by his declaration. "Not that you're not the best." Ezra caught, trying to clean his mistakes.

"I-Ezra." He began. "I'm not gonna try to teach you anymore." Ezra looked away, depressed his face back into his legs. "If all I do is try, that means I don't tryly believe I can succeed. So from now on, I will teach you." He said looking over to Ezra and scoffed at himself. "I may fail. You may fail. But there is no try." He continued, although it came out kind of awkward and his self-doubt began to show.

"I understand," Ezra said looking over to Kanan with a smile. "Master."

"Let's see if you do." Kanan stated, handing Ezra the light saber before standing so the two could practice.

(•-•)

**Okay guys, so I'm thinking tomorrows will be Kanan and Andromeda clearing up what happened today. Ooh I'm excited I already have some ideas!**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I'm hoping for three or more reviews by tomorrow because that seems to be our steady roll with this show. **

**Until tomorrow. Au revoir. **


	6. Tea, Apologies, and Body Slams

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS BUT I DO OWN THE PLOT (FOR THIS CHAPTER) AND MY CHARCATER, ANDROMEDA. **I just make Andromeda's tea at night.

**So, I've felt kind of selfish asking for you guys to review and then not doing anything about them so I'm going to start replying and hey! Maybe I won't feel so bad. **(probably not, I'll still ask though… -.- )

**PotterHeadTheGoldenTrio: I'm trying to shoot for updating everyday. ;)**

**Stormcutter684: I can't wait for the update too (well I am writing it but bruh, I'm basing this all in my head with no structure… crazy I know!). Thanks, I've always really liked the name Andromeda actually because of this artist on DeviantArt, but her character came to me I'm really happy with the outcome of her! You spelled it right, yes! Keep shining, yourself. **

**WinterKit18: Thank you very much, I'll try to actually finish this one.!**

**Also thank you to Cylon One, thesweetgirl, and TwilightNinja00 !**

**2 or more reviews since it's so short. **

The next day came slowly for the crew, there wasn't anything happening that needed to be done. Hera and Kanan came to the conclusion that it might be a good day to take a break since it had been so long from the last off day. So long that Ezra and Andromeda hadn't ever seen a day where there wasn't anything to do in the slightest.

At the prospect of getting out of the Ghost without being chased by Imperials was agreed throughout the ship happily. Zeb was the one to take off out of the ship first saying her had something to do in Harappa, a small town a few klicks from where they had landed earlier.

Sabine decided it would be a good time to go out into the nearest town, Tapti, and see the hype about some new artist. She believed it would be interesting to check out their art, maybe even exchanging tips.

Hera wasn't willing to go out but the push from Andromeda telling Hera that she needed to relax and find time to herself without the ship. As she was about to protest Andromeda made a face before entering the ship and closing the door so she couldn't come back in anyway.

Ezra wasn't really sure what to do, he didn't know the area very well and leaving Andromeda here on her own didn't seem like a fair deal to her.

Kanan and Andromeda still hadn't apologized since the previous day after Andromeda beginning knocked out, Kanan training Ezra until dark and her already asleep in her bed by the time he came to talk to her.

Once everyone dispersed from the craft he began to make his way to her room before pondering upon it and walking towards the kitchen where he could hear the kettle boiling on the stove and soft talking coming from inside. He found Ezra and the girl he was looking for standing around talking to each other with small smiles. He noticed how Andromeda began to fill the cups of tea.

Three cups were set on the table and she sat herself down as if waiting for him to join even though she hadn't turned to see him in the doorway.

He walked in slowly, quietly taking as seat as he watched the tea begin to expand out through the water until its pale brown was the only color.

"What is this?" He asked, pointing down to the drink skeptically, he hadn't told her what he liked as of tea. She looked up from her own cup and nodded silently to herself.

"Well, it's a blend of chamomile and lemon." She told him quietly, he nodded silently to her answer and picked the cup up as he sipped it. She continued. "You seem tired but not tired that you have not slept in days but as in just last night which the chamomile covers up, also relieving the anxiety you have for your crew going out into the world without being on guard as they usually are because of the unusual quietness of today, and then lemon for that headache that's creeping in on you." She told him quickly a bit anxiously taking a sip of her own tea to sooth her nerves.

"How did you-" Kanan watched her a bit surprised at her analysis but also a bit curious at the seemingly perceptive girl.

"I've always been perceptive of other people's pain. Having to deal with Ezra for the past six years didn't get me to a stand point of nowhere." She laughed a bit. "If you ever come drink tea with me again you may get a different kind because of how you have been acting the days beforehand." She smiled genuinely at him and he smiled lightly back.

"What's Ezra drinking?" He asked curiously looking to the young boy who turned to Andromeda and made a look of 'do not tell him!'. She did anyway.

"Milk thistle and dandelion with a mint seeped in also, he's had a bad digestive track for a while now but doesn't really like the taste of the dandelion so I drown it out with peppermint so that he can still get the benefits." She said looking up to the ceiling with a ponderous look. Ezra smacked a hand to his forehead as Kanan's lips quirked in just the slightest.

"You really are good to him." He whispered quietly, as if he were only trying to speak to himself but the two snapped their heads in his direction and one of the two sent him a heavy glare.

"That's not what you were saying yesterday." She said her lip jutting in annoyance.

He sighed rubbing a hand from his nose to his chin. "Yes, and I wanted to say I'm sorry for that. I understand what you have sacrificed for him and how my words came off harsh but I truly didn't mean you. I meant he has much to learn and his teachings coming from me may not help him with this fault but maybe it's a good thing. It means he's independent and knows what needs to be done." He chanced a look at Ezra. "Even if that means not taking orders." The two smirked at each other.

"I forgive you." She said breaking the tension in their smirks and Kanan looked to her with a full smile. "Now to the more important stuff." She said quickly, scarping her chair against the floor in a crude manner and set her cup down in the sink.

"What is that?" Ezra asked, looking over to her as she sat back in her seat once more.

"Did you grab my butt yesterday?" She asked seriously to Kanan who flushed a bright red at the question.

"W-What? Why would you ask something like that? You were knocked out!" He exclaimed embarrsed making quick to retort.

"Well my but has hurt since I woke up yesterday and I _know _you didn't drop me on the ground." She had stated but it seemed more as a threat to the embarrassed man. "Plus, Ezra told me you were." She said with an innocent smile.

"Hey no need to drag me into this!" Ezra called as Kanan began his rambling. "Ugh, no…not like that-"

"Yes it was." Ezra said to him with a smirk that lifted his features enormously that he almost seemed like an elf.

"No. It wasn't." Kanan said harshly pointing a finger sternly at him.

"Come _onnn." _Ezra laughed as he began to clean his dishes.

"Ezra! Get out!" Kanan shouted, now annoyed just by his presence.

"Why so you can make out with Anne-Marie? I don't think so, I'm still not sure if you're good enough for her." The blue haired boy said with a look of playful torture. Andromeda brightened at this statement, she hadn't previously minded much of the banter but now…

"EZRA!" The two yelled together, with similar bright faces and arms crossed over their chests with a huff.

The elf laughed quietly to himself as made his way out of the door. "Alright. Alright."

Andromeda could hear his footsteps stop outside the door as if to listen into their conversation. She winked at Kanan quickly before starting to speak. "So… want to make out?" Just as her question finished Ezra was in the room and knocked her down to the ground with a shout of displeasure, only to make the young woman laugh at his antics.

**Haha, I quite like this one. I might write one today about how Ezra feels about her past and the two talk it out since this one is so short. But it all depends if I don't fall asleep and when I get back to this laptop since its my grandmother's 80th birthday! Thanks for reading and watch the newest SWR!**

-3-


	7. Tearful Memories

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT FOR THE PLOT AND ANDROMEDA!** I just stow away and sleep in Ezra's old house.

**Stormcutter684: Hey thanks for seeing it as funny! I wasn't really sure how everyone would react to a original plot but I got two more reviews than I thought so that's a plus. I actually think that they're okay together. There not perfect but they relate together through many things but there both very different. **

**Guest: Thank you!**

**WinterKit18: I loved the ending too, it just CAME! To me. :P**

**DeathGoddesses: Do you really? I hope I'm not making them too OOC but I think I'm doing well (okay).**

**Thanks guys, sorry it's so late.**

A week had come and then it was gone. Nothing that spoke out truly came by, maybe that one day where they passed an Imperial ship and almost got killed but that was about it. In this week of silence and only minor rebellion Ezra had the time to think. Think about all the things that had happened, the things he has learned, and what he still doesn't understand.

Taking slow, hesitant steps towards Andromeda and Sabine's bedroom Ezra thought restlessly about how he would ask her these questions. They overruled his mind, making him shiver at some thoughts of what would come up. He had once had been so lost in his head that he ran into a wall face first and fell backwards at the impact. He was happy that no one saw but Hera did smile cruelly at the big red mark placed on his forehead.

He stood at the door staring at its cold metal exterior wondering how it hadn't been painted over yet before raising his hand up to knock… then quickly turning on his heel as if to leave. He turned back multiple times before going back to awkwardly pacing the small hallway.

The door creaked open from the girl's room with a smirking Sabine standing in the doorway watching the nervous boy. She could hear the small mumbles coming from the boy before turning back to knock on the door only to jump at the sight at the teenage fire standing where the door should have been.

"What are you doing, Ezra?" She asked looking down at his sheepish demeanor.

"Uh-w-well I just…" He heaved a great sigh, his shoulders slumping forward dramatically as he looked down to his shoes. "I need to talk to Andromeda." He looked up at her with his big blue eyes.

"Sorry, kid. She hasn't been here all morning." She said sadly, leaning up against the door frame.

"Really?" He asked surprised, they had only landed an hour ago. Where could she have gone? "Well uh, then. Do you know where Kanan is?" He asked, his hand rubbing his neck when he whipped up to look at her.

"He's in his room." She said, pointing down the hallway to the first door on the left. He nodded to her with a small smile, too lost in his thoughts to try and flirt with her in his one awkward way.

Walking towards the door was a bit terrifying for the young teenager. The thoughts kept reeling through his mind. Ever since Andromeda's joke last week he had been a little on edge for the two. Getting between them every time he saw them. What if she was in there with him? Sitting together? Talking? _Kissing? _Ezra shocked at his thoughts quickly rushed to the door, pounding harshly on the door.

The door flew open in shock and Kanan looked down with wide eyes to the kid who was still pounding on his chest with a fierceness to him.

"Ezra?" He asked, when the boy didn't respond he began to shout, holding Ezra's wrists together to stop his hits. "Ezra! Ezra! What's wrong?" He asked quietly, leaning down so he was face to face with the blue haired orphan.

The boy turned his face away so the elder man couldn't see the thick tears held inside his eyes. Kanan could feel his shoulders shaking and quickly pulled him awkwardly into his chest, patting his back lightly. His eyes scanning the hallways for help but Sabine had already left the ship with Zeb and Hera on a small little escapade through Tarkintown.

He hadn't seen Andromeda all day and wasn't sure how to deal with this child. There were always the younglings close to the Padawans but never was he close enough that they came to him with emotional distress.

"C-Come on, Ezra. Let's go in my room." He said ushering him inside but didn't get far when Ezra began to speak.

"I-I don't wa-want to be alone again." He sniffed rubbing his arm across his face, pulling a face as if he were stronger than the tear tracks that were prominent against his face.

"Ezra, what are you talking about?" He asked calmly, looking down at the stress-stricken boy.

"I-I don't know. I've just been so stressed out since you and Anne-Marie hang out so much and I feel like I've been left out of something. And then what happens if you guys start dating or something disgusting like ewh kissing!" Ezra shuddered not making eye contact to Kanan.

He laughed lightly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I'm not trying to take your Anne-Marie. And if we ever do, you never know but I promise she will never leave you."

"See you think it too. You-"

"Ezra!" A soft voice called from beyond the door. "Come out. I want to talk to you, duck."

Ezra watched the door suspiciously, with a bit of fright. "Ezra…go." Kanan shooed pushing the boy softly towards the door.

He opened the door and saw Andromeda looking down at him, tired and just a bit sad looking. "What's wrong?" She asked, walking down the hallway her hand softly resting between his shoulder blades.

"I'm not ready to move on." He said softly, causing Andromeda to stress her ears to hear.

"Hey," She called turning Ezra to face her by the shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere. But I think you're more than ready to hear the true story of Andromeda Fauna." She said with a small smile.

(•-•)

"What do you want to know?" She asked, looking over to Ezra from where they dangled their feet over the side of the ship.

"Everything." He said quietly, looking over to him. He was so serious that she had to take a moments breath before looking out at the scenery laid out before them.

"Well, I was born on the planet Taris to Pyrene and Tegan Fauna." She smiled lightly at the faded memories of her parents. "They were kind, gentle, beautiful people. I don't remember much of them but I do remember little things like how my father would always sing me to sleep and how my mother always sat in her big red chair reading old books from so long ago.

"But then, the Empire came through and destroyed some of my home. Before too much could happen throughout my home, they sent me off to the Lothalian Royalty, since they had been good friends." She laughed cruelly to her own words and Ezra turned to her curiously. "It was too bad they were awful parents and even worse leaders. That's why when the Empire reached here they did the only good thing and shoved them off the throne.

"I don't want to go into detail of my time there. It wasn't good though and it's the reason why I don't trust easily. I'm not sure what made me trust this crew so quickly but it happened and they haven't done anything to make me not trust them." She smiled over to him and he smiled back.

"So what happened? Why did you leave?" Ezra asked his eyes a wide curious as he watched her tell the story with so many gestures and sad happiness on her face.

"Well, they had a son, Naz, who was the only person I was close with. He wasn't corrupted by his parent's vision but it was probably because they never really spoke. But then one day" She shrugged. "He just began to see his parents more and one day he told me these terrible nasty threats and I couldn't take it anymore once he hit me with that one good punch. I ran off. Off the planet and out of here. Took to the planet of Coruscant and they took me in sensing the force and other mystical things in my soul." She rolled her eyes jokingly. "I don't know, I never felt like I fit in, always awkward and withdrawn from the people around me.

"I ran into Kanan once, he doesn't seem to remember. I had dark hair back then, thus my eyebrows, Master Billaba and Master-"

Ezra's mouth opened eagerly, "no Obi-Wan Kenobi was not my master." She cut him off with a smile. "Kit Fisto was my master, he kindly took me under his wing. We had a day to meet other Padawans, I saw him, gave a small hello and we exchanged a few words but nothing more. We never talked more, it was only a week ago that I figured it out actually.

"Walking around that room and seeing all those others actually _wanting _to be this great Jedi Master and I" She laughed at herself looking down at her hands. "I just wanted to run away from my past, and at that moment I wanted to run away from my present too. So I did. I came back here, made a new life. I was no longer a survivor of Taris, a piece of royalty, a Padawan, I was Andromeda and I was happy. I was truly happy to be how I was." She said smiling once more. "And then one day in my seventeen years I found this young boy." She raised a hand and brushed it over his cheek. "A little devil out all on his own on the streets and I decided I had been through so much maybe saving this one kid from a life of despair will bring a light to my life and he did. And I could _never _get rid of that light. Never in all my years."

"Never in all my days." He responded with a smile before latching her in a hug. "Thank you." He whispered quietly.

"You're welcome, duck." She whispered back stroking his hair.

(•-•)

"How'd it go?" Kanan asked Andromeda when he watched her walk past his door.

"He knows my whole life now," She raised an eyebrow. "And it seems like you do too." He was shocked.

"I did go to Jedi School, I can at least sense your presence." She said with a smirk before walking off with a laugh.


	8. Not Too Grand To Be Back

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE PLOT OR CHARACTERS EXCEPT FOR MY CHARACTERS AND THE INFORMATION I HAVE ADDED. **

**Guys so sorry I have been absent for the past two days. I've been overloaded with homework and I couldn't find the time to get any of this written out. (I may not write Thursday nights because I have to study for my med terms…. So yeah) **

**Oh! And if you guys ever go over to Quizlet. This girl, Rachel, had some one-shots going and I told her she could totally do Andromeda, so she has a one-shot up for her and Kanan if you're interested.**

**Stormcutter684: Yeah, I had been wanting for her to open up but I wasn't sure how to do it, then this came up. Lol. I think the only one dissapointed in that idea would be Ezra. **

**Guest: Look I did!**

**DeathGoddesses: True, true!**

**Also thanks to Aku Tora, howlingwolf456, Rynchan6, JediKendalina, DragonRobotkid676, and Demonica-Death**

(•-•)

Ezra had been entrusted with his first mission, his first real mission all by himself. It wasn't with Zeb because he was in trouble, it sadly wasn't with Sabine, and it wasn't off to find some Jedi master with the two formally known Jedi's. He was the glue now and now he could be proud of the work he put into this job.

Andromeda, had at first said a straight up 'no' to the idea of the mission. Him, her Ezra, walking into complete danger without so much as training in either his Jedi learnings and couldn't use his little electro-shocks. When Hera pointed out the reasons he would be needed for the mission, since he was the youngest of the crew and relative age of the normal storm trooper in training, she became reluctant to letting her bird fly away from the nest. Then when Kanan suggested he could go in his place she all but pushed him out the Ghost before she would ever see Kanan in a storm trooper suit.

Now, weeks later and Ezra still not appearing with the decoder she began to worry. Locked up in her room, the crew didn't know what was going on but Sabine. Although Sabine wouldn't tell the little she knew.

When Andromeda stood in the ship in full robes of royalty the crew was stunned. She was just a little bit whiter from the makeup she wore almost as if her face and her hair were one, beholding a dark wine color on her lips, her nails had been colored the same as her lips, her hair twisted up and into a large bun with a number of eccentric pins inside of it, and her ropes portrayed a dark black as if she were going to a funeral.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Kanan blanched upon seeing her.

"Me? Well I'm going to check up on Ezra." She stated matter of factly.

"You can't just walk in their dressed like that and expect entry." Hera stated firmly to the seemingly idiotic young woman before her.

"I know you do not know of my past Hera, but I had once been royalty. Not in blood but the citizens still considered me as such. When I ran away my 'parents' claimed for me to be missing and not having run away. If I tell them I was sent to check upon the training camps and that I had just resumed my political position, they will believe before I can state my business." She stated with a look of boredom. "Now Hera, please take me down."

Hera was stunned for a moment before turning to the cockpit and taking them down.

Andromeda nodded to the two and made her leave to the camp. Upon arrival she met with only a couple guards and before explaining to them what had happened they had decided to escort her inside instead of shooting her down. She met with the two teachers of the trainees and they agreed instantly for her to join them and watch the processions of the trainees, maybe even show them something they could be fighting for. The protection of high women who had been taken away by evil deeds, ridding the world of evil, doing what is right for their Empire.

She smiled at the two and had entered with the eight had been down in the well. Looking down she saw the eight children chattering amongst each other, three of them with their helmets off.

"Do not forget what you will win also, in this assessment. Now, it begins in four, three, two, one!" The trainees looked up at the moving platforms and quickly took to jumping from one to the other. Ezra having the best agility from his younger life as a thief easily took the gold with his friend right behind him.

"From below! Failure is not acceptable." The gray tinted man shouted down. "This Empire has no use for weakness." Ezra pulled himself up over the edge, then grabbing hold of his friend and pulling him up too.

"Perhaps too impressive. Make a note of that." The gray man said to his buff counterpart. Andromeda hadn't truly been listening but noticing they were talking about her Ezra she took part in her maternal instincts and quickly pounced on the two.

"What? You have never had a star pupil in your midst's before?" She asked, her voice crossed the confused disposition of royalty and the harshness of her protectiveness of Ezra.

"Lady Andromeda, it is not what we meant. Even our star pupils have had some fault in one assessment excessively he seems off." He stated, his voice rising as he watched the narrowed eyes of the woman. She quickly turned to see the two boy's climbing out of the hole.

"First again." Ezra said with a smile looking over to his friend.

"Yeah. Well I'll get you tomorrow." Jai smiled to his friend who quickly smiled a big grin once more.

"You said that yesterday too." He whispered keeled over only looking at Jai, not noticing the smirking woman far off to the side.

"Quite a finish, Cadets. It seems this trial was too easy. Morgan, Kell, you both set course records." The gray man looked over to the other young boy who had won, but unlike the other two, his didn't come with ease. "And, um, is it Leonis?" The man asked, Andromeda gave the gray man a curious look thinking that it was only eight students, surely he could learn their names except when in praise.

The young boy didn't seem in any offence and took it how it went responding, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"You three are today's winners. But rest assured, your next trial will be a great challenge. As of now," He turned to the high woman with a questioning look. "My Lady?" The Cadets turned to the woman all with large, wide eyes, only Ezra's held knowing inside them.

"Yes, um, I would like to meet with them tomorrow, after their big assessment. I do not care if they win or lose. Those three are the ones I'm meeting with." She demanded and the gray teacher nodded with understanding. "I'll be going now." She said with a small smile and exiting the base, only to turn back to see Ezra watching her.

(•-•)

Andromeda got back to the Ghost listening to Hera and Kanan bicker about Ezra's one more day. She entered silently, scaring the two when she spoke. "He has one more day." She stated siting down in the seat behind Kanan quickly taking to unpinning her hair, wiping her make up off her hand, which smeared everywhere before it landed on Kanan's shirt because she had nowhere else to put it. Then unclipping the skirt that was held around her waist and reveling pants underneath, her shoes then kicked off, and last but not least her happy sinking in her chair when everything was done and stashed back into the suitcase it had been held in before.

Kanan was glaring back at her as she watched him with a smirk on her still wine colored lips. The white splotch on his shirt was prominent and Hera couldn't contain her laughter any longer.

"I'm off to get tea, either of you want any?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice. Kanan didn't respond but Hera gave a pleasant yes.

When she came back Hera was laughing as hard as Andromeda had ever seen and Kanan was grumpily sitting with his arms crossed and looking out the side window. She silently set the cup of green tea on the small pull out table and left the room with her stuff, going to take a long nap.

(•-•)

The gray skinned teacher greeted Andromeda this time at the side gate where she had entered the day before. She smiled kindly to him and allowed him to lead her to a small room where she would a private meeting with the three. She had asked the man if she could have it alone and he agreed instantly thinking her of good intentions.

Jai had asked to shower first before entering the room with the others, the gray man conceded and allowed him the time to himself on Andromeda's insistence. "He is a growing boy," She had said. "He needs his alone time."

When Ezra and Leonis entered, Ezra took no hesitance in hugging the pampered girl. The other boy gasped at the boy's reaction and quickly launched to drag him off her.

"Hello, Ezra." She laughed, running her light hand against his hair. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah, Anne-Marie. How are you? I've missed you a whole bunch! I feel as if I was drafted into war. As if I should be sending you letters to tell you how I am. I thought of doing it a couple times but never wrote them down. Well maybe not exactly but-" Andromeda hushed him with a laugh turning to his newest friend.

"Leonis?" She asked quietly, walking towards him. The boy stiffened at her movements and wasn't able to utter a word once her thin hand had placed itself upon his shoulder. "It seems you have made the acquaintance of my dear boy, and it also seems you two are working together to get out. I can only help so much but I am always here to help." Andromeda left him standing there in the white room, he noticed how the white of the room did not wash out the glow of the Lady, she was still elegant and poised to perfection as if she were no match for the world. "You need to tell that other boy, Kall." He'll be a great asset to you." She told Ezra, sternly.

He shrugged. "Not today, I'm still not sure but maybe after the assessment tomorrow." She nodded solemnly.

The trio turned into a quartet when Kell entered and the few talked for another thirty minutes saying her goodbye to Kell who was happy to leave so quickly then looking to the two boys.

"I can't come back again, sometime they'll call my old home and say their praises and then I'll be running away again. So you two," She gained a cheeky grin on her face beginning to salute the two. "Do your Empire proud!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" The two exclaimed back before turning and exiting. The Lady also returning to beyond the doors and out of the base to the Ghost.

(•-•)

Sabine, Andromeda and Zeb waited for Ezra's return, well Sabine and Zeb did, Andromeda knew he was going to hold back for that Kell kid one way or the other and she didn't want to separate herself too far from her boy.

Chopper made his entrance, popping the decoder out when asked then playing the recording of Ezra when he was questioned for. "Guys, I know you're expecting me, but I have to stay at the Academy. There's this kid, Jai Kell, and he'll get scooped up by the Inquisitor if I don't help him."

"Wait." Zeb announced thinking for a moment. "The Inquisitor? Is Ezra out of his-"

"You probably think I've lost my mind." Ezra's hologram announced. "And you're probably right, but it's your fault. The old me never stuck his head out for a stranger, or at least it ended up that way, but clearly, I've spent way too long with you heroes. Decode the hyperspace coordinates and get them to Spectre-1. Oh and if you're not too busy, attack the Academy tomorrow at noon. I could use the diversion so I can get out of here. Spectre-6 out. " The three looked at each other for a moment before Sabine quickly took to calling the Ghost.

"Spectre-5 to Ghost. Sending coordinates for Imperial jump route. If you leave now, you should still be able to intercept." Sabine called to the two aboard ship with the smallest bit of nerves in her voice.

"Coordinates received." Hera called to the trio. "We're heading out."

"Good work, Spectre-5, and you too, Spectre-6" Kanan said with a much more pleasant tone than the day before.

"Uh, Spectre-6 isn't with us." Sabine stated quietly into the comm.

"Wh-" Then then comm went dead, Hera had jumped right when Kanan began to flip.

(•-•)

Ezra hadn't won the assessment, allowing his other two companions to win the entry to the walker. Kell and Leonis sat inside, quickly took over the walker and made their dramatic exit. The two were shot and fell to the ground just below the gate that landed on top of them. Fighting outside could be heard from the Rebels and the metal death bed soon became cramped. The door swung open for them to see Ezra smiling at them with relief before helping them out.

The few of the crew stood to run but Zare quickly looked to Jai and asked him for a favor. "Wait. Give me that blaster."

"Uh, sure. Why?" Jai asked, quickly stopping in his tracks like everyone else as the young soldier stood to watch them.

"Because I'm staying." He stated with a hard look on his face.

"What?"

"It's the only way I'll ever find my sister." He stated looking back to the men approaching.

"We got bucket heads inbound!" Sabine shouted, ushering the kids forth.

"I'll keep in touch." Ezra said before dashing off. Andromeda gave him a quick squeeze and a 'good luck' before dashing of as well with the lasers hitting only a few feet behind them.

(•-•)

"So, you're that lady from yesterday." Jai asked as the two descended down the steps with the rest of the crew behind them.

"Yeah, that was me, a long time ago." She reminisced before looking down at him. "Now, we protect the galaxy from the war and get kids home to their mothers." She said with a smile poking him in a chest. He smiled back.

"Jai," Hera called walking oer to his side. "We'll take you to your mother, but you'll both have to go into hiding."

"Yeah, from the Empire. Nor problem." He said with a bitter tone.

"We'll help with that too." She said pushing him lightly so she could return him home.

Kanan came up behind Ezra and Andromeda who stood quietly together. "So how was it, kid?"

"A new experience of being alone."

"Do you miss it?" He asked.

"No grumpy robots, no smelly Lasats." He smiled up to Kanan. "It's good to be back."

"At ease, Cadet." He chuckled, rubbing Ezra's hair down.

"Sir, yes, sir." He laughed quickly running into the ship.

"You do well with kids." Andromeda stated lightly as she watched her bouncing boy inside the ship.

"Yeah, well-" He said nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "You do too." Was all he said walking inside the ship quietly.


	9. Death Match

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING IN REGARDS TI STAR WARS (REBELS) EXCEPT ANDROMEDA AND ADDED INFORMATION. **I just fix up the phantom whenever it's in port.

**Hey guys, so sorry about not updating but the end of school is coming and finals are piling high, plus I've been sick for the past week so, I hope you guys like this one. **

**Stormcutter684: Hey, thanks a lot. I tried to update quickly but it… Sunday night so.**

**Snowki: I tried!**

**Guest: Yes, it is Baymax's face. I thought they were super cute even though he doesn't relate to the story, I just saw them on Tadashi fanfic's. ((((^:**

**Also thanks to Brooke Vengence, BeautyandtheNerd, HorseMagic17, SapphireStormAngel, Takahashi Amaya, animebella09, enchantress99, thorin-smokinshield. **

Ezra, Hera, and Sabine had gone out on a mission alone to the pilot's request leaving the other four to roam the Ghost alone. Zeb and Chopper began playing the game out in the main room while Kanan and Andromeda sat in the cockpit talking quietly to each other.

Chopper's piece destroyed Zeb's larger one and the Lasat rolled his eyes at the droid. He hated the thing but it didn't always hurt to try and play a game every once awhile with it when bored, especially when Kanan and Andromeda were laughing and drinking tea in the next room.

"They've been gone for a while." Kanan muttered looking out into the blank space in front of him, pondering their where abouts.

"It always seems longer when you're the one waiting." She replied looking over to the side of his face with a smile. She heard the Phantom's engine disturb the space around them and it locking on. "They're here. No worries." She smiled standing up and patting his head childishly. He glared at her back making his way behind her.

"Everyone okay?" Kanan asked as the rest of the crew walked in. Andromeda and Ezra hugged briefly exchanging a couple words.

"We're fine, but I scraped the Phantom's underbelly." She sulked, miffed about her spaceship.

"You?" Kanan asked with a laugh, always Miss. Perfect, Hera was.

"It was somewhat unavoidable once _your _plan went south." She accused with a smile at her face.

"Ah, there we go." His grin widened at the accusation. "Knew there had to be a way this was my fault." He laughed, she smiled crossing her arms defiantly.

"And you were right, dear." She turned around to look at the three other boys standing in the room. "Zeb, I'll need the Phantom ready to pick up the supplies from Fulcrum. Adjust the steering and run a diagnostic. Chopper and Ezra will help you fix any problems you find."

"Really?" Zeb scoffed. "Have you met them?"

"Hey!" Ezra shouted punching Zeb in the arm with Chopper growling right next to him.

"And I'm leaving soon, so get to it." She sang walking back to her place. "Oh!" Hera called beckoning Andromeda after her quickly turning back. The white feathered girl quickly dashed up the ladder and to Hera where they walked into the cockpit, speaking of her going on the mission with her.

"I just don't trust myself to go alone, you know. I thought it would be best to ask you since you're never keen on always asking questions." Hera was saying when Kanan walked in with three cups.

"Yes, I understand. I also understand that sometimes a crew has secrets and they should be kept for safety." She muttered accepting the cup from Kanan with a smile. A flowery tea, almost like hibiscus.

"Like with Ezra?" She asked as she stood so Kanan could have her seat.

"Yes, Like Ezra."

"So, what happened out there?" Kanan asked sitting down in his seat slowly taking a sip of his drink. Most likely coffee.

"Well, we took out the target." Hera responded vaguely.

"Yeah. I got that part." Kanan stated, pushing her to say more.

"Fulcrum was right about the timing and route but underestimated the Imperial defenses." She said to him looking over for a moment.

"It's getting harder to anticipate the Empire's moves. That's for sure." The door slid open to see Sabine standing in the doorway, her demeanor and look was one to intimidate anyone.

"Yeah, about that I'd like to know why we're relying on Intel from this Fulcrum, whoever he is." She spat out taking a step inside. Kanan turned around to look at her in his seat, Andromeda could see that leader look in his eyes.

"It's Hera's job to find missions that create problems for the Empire and profit us." He stood up so that he could tower over her to show his superiority. "If she trusts the contact, I trust the contact. No questions asked."

Sabine looked up at him under her lashes annoyed and heart broken. "At the Imperial Academy they didn't want me to ask questions either. That didn't work for me. That's why I ended up here."

"And we're glad to have you." Kanan said with that innocent smile that cast off a sarcastic vibe.

"You are so frustrating." She gritted through her teeth, hands clenched.

"Yeah, I've heard that before." He began to walk out before turning. "It was actually Andy who did." He laughed. "Because I called her 'Meda'" The girl spoken of rolled her eyes.

"Fine." Sabine snapped, walking up behind Hera as Andromeda slinked around her to reclaim her seat. "I'm done asking questions, I'm telling you: I'm coming on your run to meet Fulcrum."

"You know, you can be pretty frustrating too." Hera replied not looking back.

"Learned from the best."

"Sweet!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Girls day! I'll grab some tea!" She exclaimed dashing out of the room.

"What is with her and tea?" Sabine questioned, forgetting of the tension between her and Hera for a second.

"That's something I can tell you. Her panic attacks." Hera stated kindly, trying just a bit to regain Sabine's trust but not much because she knew it would be something much more difficult.

"Panic attacks?"

"Yeah, you've never noticed Ezra telling her to breath or when Kanan makes her tea or anything." Hera asked a bit shocked the teenager was so oblivious.

"I just-" Sabine shrugged. "I'm not sure what I thought."

(•-•)

Andromeda already sat in the back of the Phantom when the two walked in with three canisters filled with tea she immediately handed one to both noticing the tension but finding it unfit to actually intervene in their problems.

Hera sat in her usual pilot spot taking a small sip of her tea, smiling, then set it down to take them off into space. Sabine walked up behind Hera with a scowl and her drink in hand but making no efforts to drink it. "So what's the deal? Is Fulcrum just another smuggler like Vizago? Why all the secrecy?" She questioned, annoyed at her placement on the crew.

"Oh. It's no secret we're fighting against the Empire. We need as many allies as we can get." She replied, straying from the subject but still answering her question with a smugness to her.

"How do you find a way of answering a question without giving any answers?" Sabine asked astonished.

"Do you really want to know?"

A static sound came across the comm with a gravelly voice came across. "Phantom, this is Fulcrum."

Hera immediately went to it answering. "Come in. This is Spectre-2, Fulcrum."

Sabine leaned over with a smug smile so that she was in Hera's face. "Why don't I talk to him?" She backed up when Hera's finger pointed at her.

"Don't you dare." She looked back to her comm when Fulcrum came back.

"Already at the rendezvous, Spectre-2. Should I wait?" He asked as Sabine took it to set her two-cents in.

"Yeah, stick around. Spectre-2 and I would love to talk to you." She smiled, while Andromeda sat with a raised eyebrow at the teenager.

"Spectre-2 what's the problem."

"No problem, Fulcrum." She turned to glare at Sabine. Spectre-5 decided to help Spectre-7 and I with the supply run." She commented.

"Understood. Fulcrum out." The comm went silent and Hera turned to the younger girl.

"You know, an outburst like that is not appreciated."

"Neither is all this secrecy." Sabine sighed as Andromeda watched onwards with a hard glare.

"You two need to figure out whatever this attitude is because you're both unbalancing the mission. It won't go good." Andromeda commented and with Sabine's scoff everything went silent.

The trio walked out of the Phantom and onto the rocky land, looking around at the barren scape with asteroids flying through the sky obstructing the view from time to time.

"So, where's the mystery man?" Sabine asked looking around suspiciously.

"Maybe your attitude scared him off." Andromeda suggested with a shrug.

"I know I didn't" Hera stated looking at the crates quickly taking one. "I'll take that one." She muttered walking towards the ship.

A soft growl came from the old base from besides them but it seemed only Andromeda was the one to hear it as she stood where she was, staring.

"Look, Hera, I'm sorry for the attitude." Sabine sighed, slightly guilty as the two walked side by side, Andromeda coming up behind after her brief encounter with the growling. "It's just things seem to be getting more dangerous every day, and I need to know that you and Kanan can trust me." She told her, the worry quivering on her lips.

"We trust you, Sabine." Hera stated turning around to her so that Sabine could see the truth in her eyes. "We just can't tell you everything. It's for the safety of the whole crew. If captured, you can't reveal what you don't know." She stated, Sabine taken aback from the statement quickly halted the older woman.

"You think I'd talk?" Sabine asked, feeling betrayed.

"I think we that the Imperials can make you talk." Hera stated stopping to look over to her.

"Sabine, it is a very probable situation. The less you know, the less in danger _you _are." Andromeda consoled with a small smile.

"You've seen what they're capable of." Hera stated, holding a hand out for emphasis.

"Yeah, I have. That's why I need to know." Sabine continued stubbornly. Andromeda sighed pushing her crate forward to leave the argument with a roll of her eyes.

"You already know exactly what you need to know and no more." Hera consoled going back to her crate before continuing. "I need you to trust me now." She emphasized walking forwards.

Sabine scoffed following behind her. "And that's supposed to make me feel better? Hera, you know what happened when I was a cadet at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore. I trusted the Empire, followed its orders blindly, and it was a nightmare." She droned out, tiredly as she set down her crate and making her way to the other ones. "I want to believe we're doing good, making a difference, but sometimes it seems like the harder we fight, the harder things get out there. I feel like we can't take down the Empire on our own." She lectured as they walked back but stopped when Hera took her by the soldiers and looked deep into her eyes.

"What you need is faith." She said quietly, the two alone for their argument with Andromeda walking by only once. "Faith that there is a long-term plan that's bigger than you or me, bigger than Lothal, bigger than the entire Outer Rim. Have faith in that and in us." She finished going back to her walk. She looked over her shoulder. "We- Kanan. He knows what he's doing."

"Hera!" Andromeda called from in front of the two looking down at the ground.

"What is it?" She asked, the two jogging over to see the deep scratch marks in the ground.

"Claw marks where the crates were." She said, her gray eyes flickering over to her.

"Maybe he's still here." Sabine suggested with a small shrug.

The two older girls looked over a tad bit confused. "Who?" Hera asked.

"Fulcrum?"

"No."

"Well, who else knows about this place?" Sabine asked looking around the barren planet.

"Not sure." She said also looking.

"Well, this planet used to be a base years ago based off the building and how damaged and rusted it's become. After the Clone Wars perhaps." Andromeda shrugged looking over at the two.

"Besides, why drag them? Why not use the anti-grav?" Hera contemplated as the sky turned dark, the trio all looked up to see an asteroid cover the sun.

"Whoa-a. Sunrise comes along fast in these parts." Sabine laughed looking up.

The two began walking towards the abandoned base, flashlights and blasters out. "Let's see what else comes along."

"Guys, I wouldn-"Andromeda was cut off with the two ignoring her and walking off too far.

"Whoever did this must have been pretty eager to get what was inside." Sabine stated looking at the scratched up crate inside.

"Too eager to just flip the latch and open them?" Hera justified lightly touching the scratches along the crate. She looked over to the two girls standing next to each other. "Who would-" A clattering came from inside the darker reaches of the room, the trio quickly snapped their heads towards it. "

"It's not a who, it's a what." Andromeda stated her eyes not leaving the interior of the room. "I heard it growling earlier but you two were arguing too much to interrupt." She stated, not trying to slash at the two only pointing out what had happened. A growl sounded and a creature jumped from crate to crate in front of them.

"That's comforting." Sabine snapped glancing over to Hera for a moment before back to the room. "You don't happen to know why this base was abandoned?"

"Sorry. That may have been my job but I forgot about it." Andromeda stated pulling out her spare laser gun from her side.

Sabine rolled her eyes in frustration. "Well, look where that got us." She snapped once more before the three ran back into a large solid and quickly turned around with the growling of it. They jumped back ready to defend themselves from the one only to be surrounded by a whole heard of the creatures. Shots were fired and the flashlight Hera held was dropped killing the light and giving the things more advantage in the dark space. The girls quickly made their way back into the sunlight before they were mauled to death.

When out the creatures followed only to screech when the sunlight touched their skin and quickly retreated into the base. A couple of the things stayed near the entrance watching the shadows cast over the ground while the three girls stood with guns up and ready. The sun was fully gone and the creatures pounced but the sun came back instantly and the few ran inside looking back once before they were gone.

The girls stood, panting lightly watching the inside in case anymore came back. "Whatever those creatures are, they can't take the sun." Hera stated looking around them for a brief second.

"Good," Sabine shrugged looking up to the sky seeing a large asteroid making to cover the sun. "but do you see the size of that asteroid? That's going to block out the sun for a long time." She pointed out, Hera quickly looking over to the younger girl with a quizzical expression.

"How long?" She asked.

"I don't know." Sabine said quickly before sarcastically stating. "Long enough for us to become lunch."

"Well actually it would be six minutes and twenty-eight seconds." Andromeda said, the two looked at her for a moment. "Sorry, I was in advanced physics when I was taught, it comes naturally." She said quietly looking away from the girls.

"Well, luckily we weren't planning on staying for lunch." Hera sighed taking the two back to the crates, Hera and Sabine took the last two crates while Andromeda made an inspection of the Phantom for a moment quickly.

"Uh, Hera!" Andromeda beckoned her over to where the slightly younger girl crouched looking at her fingers suspiciously.

"What is it?" Hera asked quietly.

Andromeda turned up to look at her with a sad expression on her face. "We're stuck." Was all she said and Hera's eyes went big before dashing into the ship to check the statistics of the Phantom.

"No, no, no, no. no!" Hera shouted, shaking the steering wheel momentarily before turning back to the confused Sabine. "We had nearly a full tank when we landed. Now we're out of fuel?" She asked rhetorically as Andromeda walked in, closing the doors for a moment as they went to call in the Ghost.

(•-•)

Zeb was sitting in the small booth in the main room where he looked down at his lunch hungrily about to dig in when Chopper raced into the room angrily with Ezra sitting on top of him, messing with the droid.

"Hera's not here to save you now!" Ezra stated before being flung off the droid into Zeb's lunch and quickly irritating the Lasat.

"And you know what? Neither is 'mother duck'!" Zeb shouted quickly picking the kid up by the collar about to pummel him when a frantic Hera came across his comm.

_"Spectre-2 to Spectre-4. Come in." _She quickly called twice annoyed with his inability to respond. Zeb set Ezra down, making a 'I'm watching you' motion with his hands before responding lightly.

"Go ahead, Spectre-2." He insisted.

_"You did run a full diagnostic on the Phantom, correct?" _Hera asked softly.

Zeb shrugged even though she couldn't see him and nodded before responding. "Of course."

_"And you checked the results." _There was silence at her question, Zeb looked to Ezra who only shrugged with a shake of his head 'no'. The three ran down the hallway to look at the results only to see bad news.

"Um, Spectre-2, there might be a small problem with the fuel line." Zeb observed nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"Small problem?" Hera inquired. "Uh, guys, we have a situation." She quickly relented and the two boys looked at each other nervous and scared. For the girls and for themselves.

(•-•)

Kanan sat inside his room, meditating quietly until the two dimwits walked in front of his door talking in a whisper yell to each other. "This is your fault, you and Chopper!" Zeb exclaimed at the two.

"You were the one running the diagnostic." Ezra quipped back annoyed from having everything land on his shoulders on him all the time.

"You should have checked." Zeb shot back.

"I'll check you into the wall."

"We have to tell Kanan." The Lasat consoled just a bit quieter. Ezra sighed before replying.

"Okay, but don't tell him it's our fault."

"Okay." Zeb agreed and the two burst into the room with Chopper hanging around behind them.

"Kanan." The two called together looking at the meditating man as he rose his hand and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hera, Sabine, and Andromeda are in danger." He said softly the two looking at him in shock.

"How could you tell? Could you sense it? Because of the connection between you and Anne-Marie?" Ezra asked continuously and he looked over slowly.

"No." His eyes turned cold while looking at the two annoyed. "I could hear you two yelling outside the door." He snapped quickly getting up to contact the girls.

(•-•)

_"__We're on our way. Ghost out." _Kanan called before leaving the girls to themselves after talking about their situation for a few moments.

"No way they get here before that asteroid blocks the sun and-" One of the creatures screeched mid-sentence and Sabine watched fearful. "I guess we could hole up in the Phantom?" She suggested turning back

"Judging by the torn-up shuttle in there, locking ourselves in the Phantom won't protect us." Hera explained.

"It'll get grim if we do." Andromeda agreed looking over the Phantom.

"Well, I'll take grim right now." Sabine nodded looking around before noticing large red canisters set up in front of the base. "I knew I recognized these markings." Sabine said softly walking over to one of the canisters and turning it on. "Allow me to introduce you to one of my oldest and most explosive friends: rhydonium." Sabine showed off allowing the two girls to take a closer look.

"It's good to have friends." Hera muttered.

"What's the plan then?" Andromeda asked looking over to the teenager with a raised eyebrow allowing her to take charge. She needed it.

"Since we don't know how many of those creatures are in there, we can set up groups of canisters and create explosions that take them out a wave at a time." Sabine told them making little hand gestures along with her plan.

"How will you get the creatures close enough to the rhydonim to be effective?" Hera asked curiously.

"We're going to need bait to drag them out. Where are we going to get some?" Andromeda asked also curious to Sabine's continuing plan.

"We are it." The two looked at her in realization before setting out to set out the plan as Sabine instructed.

"Wave one." Hera stated as the shadow covered the entirety of the terrain quickly taking positions. The three waited as one of the creatures started to slowly walk out. "Move." Hera called allowing the three to begin shooting at the creature. One of the canisters blew up destroying the thing in an instant.

"Wow. A lot of 'em." Sabine stated watching the creatures crawl out of the base.

"Steady now. Follow the plan." Hera consoled lightly. "Fall back! Wave two." She stated the three quickly running back for wave two shooting at them but not at the canisters.

"Wait for 'em." They waited a few more seconds. "Now!" A huge explosion shot up into the air, killing multiple of the things. "It worked."

Andromeda ran a hand back through her hair with a quick sigh. "We may live to see another day." She laughed lightly.

"Wait. You doubted Sabine's plan?" Hera asked.

"Maybe a little."

"Yeah, so did I." Hera said out of the side of her mouth.

"Hey!" Sabine called, just the smallest bit offended.

"Come on." Hera called running back to wave three.

The same results happened through three and four until they were backed against the front of the Phantom without a wave five. Stepping up to the top of the Phantom the girls shot relentlessly at the creatures who kept going at them.

"They just keep coming." Sabine said watching as the more they killed the more came.

"Tell me something I don't know." Hera shot back.

"We're gonna die."

"Wow, way to stay on the positive side." Andromeda sighed continuing her shots before resorting to trying to save the two with using the force to knock them back every couple seconds.

The Ghost came in the nick of time, with Sabine and Hera growing tired and Andromeda gaining a major migraine from using so much raw power, it was a blessing it came. An artificial light came from the ship knocking the creatures back only for them to notice the safety they had touching the light, the creatures came back at them.

"The light's not hurting them." Sabine said shocked as the Ghost's front door opened with Ezra and Zeb waiting for them.

"Then we better move." Hera said back.

"Quickly on the ship!" Andromeda shouted back with Ezra calling that he had their back's. Andromeda quickly sent a huge blast knocking them back and Ezra dragging her faint body inside quickly, Zeb knocking the continuous flow of creatures back.

"Anne-Marie?" Ezra asked but she was out cold.

Kanan walked out to them a moment later seeing Zeb taking Andromeda to her room. He quickly took to the kitchen grabbing an old cloth and wetting it. He walked into her room and set the cool rag on her head quietly, rubbing a hand down her cheek, leaving a light kiss on her cheek. Before leaving the room to leave her alone to sleep.

(•-•)

Hera, Sabine, Zeb and Ezra had been talking for a moment before Hera turned to the young girl to speak to her. "Sabine, I know you have questions, questions I can't right now. But know that I trust you." Hera asked quietly, her eyes pleading.

"I just trusted you with my life down there." Sabine stated, those small words showing what she meant.

"I know."

"I know you do."

"Good."

"We are making a difference, Sabine. And I promise: we won't always be fighting this battle alone. DO you think you can trust me?" Hera asked, a hand on her shoulder.

"I think… I can try." Sabine smiled and the older woman sighed in relief giving her a small hug before taking off to pilot the ship.


	10. Happy Birthday, Duck!

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**Hey all, hope you guys had a great Christmas, or other holiday celebrated or are just having a nice break. Sorry it's been awhile, but my computer has been acting up so it's been hard just to get to the internet. !**

**Stormcutter684: Because of your questions I added that second chapter. *click click* Just for you.**

**Random Fan: Hey, that's pretty cool. I just thought him up. Maybe your essence just leaked out of the fabric of the universe and into my thoughts with some other person and boom! Landon came along. Who knows? Anyway, um, Ezra x OC? I don't know because I've had plans for other stories outside of this fandom, this was like a kick start you know. But I really do enjoy it. Perhaps I might. **

**Guest: Read author notes. My advice won't help if you don't read this either so…**

**PaintedBunny: Not sure, answer in Random Fan's answer. Thanks!**

**TeamFinnickandAnnie: THANK THE LORD! SOMEONE WHO READS AUTHOR NOTES! Yes, I will take your opinion into account so once I finish these two chapters we'll see. THANKS!**

**Read the author's notes please guys. If you want Landon vote on my profile or review yes or no. Thanks! Not too much to ask I hope. **

"I don't think you should train Ezra today." Andromeda stated, she stood in the kitchen leaning against the counter next to the oven. Kanan jumped, since he was walking backwards (naturally), and turned around to look at her with Hera right behind him. "He's been training hard for a few weeks, I think he needs a break." She stated crossing her arms, never making eye contact with him.

"Why not?" He asked sitting at the small table with Hera across, she had a serious look on her face as she watched Andromeda stand there, looking inside the heated oven at whatever she had been making.

"Did I not just tell you why, he's been training hard an-" She began cut off by Hera's warm smile, although Andromeda noticed her earlier scowl, most likely from having to wake so early after a long night of traveling.

"Dear, I think he meant the real reason." She urged, placing a green hand on Andromeda's arm.

Quickly turning around to take the pan out of the oven, messing with it. "It is the truth, but even if there were another reason, it's not my story to tell." She told them quietly, Hera went to make another comment only to be waved off by Kanan. A small plate was slightly slammed onto the counter before the small cake was set atop it, a clear glaze fell over the pale blue coloring of the cake. The two residents in the kitchen watched her strangely as she continued, placing a fruit very similar to a strawberry on top coloring and everything except the taste was very much sweeter with a nectar kind of after taste.

She nodded to the two before heading out of the room with a tray with the cake and two small cups of tea. She lightly walked down the hallway to not wake the other children (although Zeb was much older than her she saw him as if he were a child). She lightly knocked on the door to Ezra's bedroom, a very soft "come in" came from inside and she saw Ezra in his gray pajama's standing there waiting for her with a big grin. This was the only thing he loved about his birthday, eating cake together in their pajamas sitting outside to see the stars just before the sun came up.

"Well come on, birthday boy, let's head outside." She laughed quietly, tugging him out of his room. "Okay so you've got two choices you can either hold this" she gestured to the tray. "until I climb up onto the roof and then you hand it to me so you can climb up. OR! You can use that Jedi mind of yours and put the tray onto the roof and we get off easily." She smiled at him, he shrugged uneasily.

"I don't feel comfortable with using the Force today, I don't think it'll end well with my mind being everywhere." Ezra confessed, scuffing his shoe in the dirt embarrassed.

"Hey, kid, look at me." She said comfortingly knocking his chin with her fist. "I don't mind. You are not disappointing me if you do not use it. I have always loved you for you, alright." She smiled, before shoving the tray into his hands and quickly scrambling up to the roof. Ezra stood onto his tip toes while Andromeda leaned over with her knees latched to the side and quickly taking the tray from him and struggling to pull herself back up to the roof.

Ezra and she sat there for a few moments staring up at the stars, quiet. "You know, I used to study Astronomy as a kid. Whenever I could since it was useless knowledge, my 'parents' told me. Even though we have men and women and every other creature known out their travelling around." Andromeda stated, nodding her head with a smile. "You see, in old Earth times they would name their constellations these crazy things instead of now. One I recall is a woman named Cassiopeia, the shape of the constellations is a "W" or "M" in the sky depending on where she stands in the sky from your perspective. Dear Cass was the wife of a King named Cepheus who ruled the land of Ethiopia. Cass and Ceph actually had a daughter named Andromeda, remember that _wonderful _story!" She looked over to Ezra with a huge grin, his small and quiet, just like every year. She didn't mind though she understood, so she continued on their annual constellation story since it had always interested him so much. "Well, we both know the story of Cassiopeia bragging of her daughter's beauty to everyone, more beautiful than those beautiful Goddesses up in the big place. She bragged and bragged and bragged until the beautiful women snapped and walked daintily over to big pop Poseidon. Annoyed, the king of the great blue sent a monster off to Ceph's land. Andromeda has to be sacrificed and la de dah. The five characters in our story where then cast into the sky. You know, some people say dear Cass was chained into the sky and sometimes hangs upside-down to show us not to brag to the wrong people, then they'll kill your daughter because of jealousy." She laughed earning a small laugh out of Ezra. "Alright, enough with the story eat your cake." She pushed happily, Ezra gave in putting his hands up in surrender before turning to eat the cake, sip his tea as did Andromeda.

"You know, Anne-Marie. You make this day just a little more bearable as the years come. Thanks." Ezra sighed as he mumbled into his cup. She smiled at him rubbing his head affectionately.

"Ah, you're welcome duck. So, happy fifteenth birthday love." She held her hands out so he would place his in hers. "I got you something." She grinned and he sighed.

"Ann-" Ezra looked away, guilty for her to get him something with her own money.

"Oh, no. Stop it! I'm going to get it." She slid down the side of the ship and quickly skidded inside. Ezra sat quietly looking up at the stars, she never spoke of these. When he had once asked her why she said they weren't as interesting as the one's with impossible stories.

Andromeda climbed back up the ship with a big box in her hands and shoving it in his face. "Here!" She said before sitting crisscross in front of him. He slowly opened the box and looked inside to see four items laying inside. "Andromeda." He whispered looking across the items with a glaze. He picked up the small tea cup looking at it in awe, on the side it had a small duck painted with a water color affect.

"That is to represent you. You are my little duck and you must remember that always. Your parents may not be alive and mine are for sure not but we have a make shift family and it has been pretty damn wonderful."

Next Ezra picked up a small picture with him and his parents sitting in the living room together, his father in the center and Ezra and his mother on either side of him facing each other talking and laughing with each other. "I don't remember this picture."

"If I told you I knew your parents when you were a kid and took that picture and never could find them after I took the picture would you believe me?" She asked, holding her hands out with a quizzical look on her face.

"No, not in a million years. Right?" He asked, the slightest bit unsure.

"Okay good. Then you are Ezra, just double checking." He rolled his eyes but threw his arms out at her in exasperation so she would tell him. "I had a friend take that picture."

"Andromeda!" Ezra protested, looking at her with a now knowing look.

"No seriously, she used to take pictures of families that were going through a rough time. She asked your father if she could catch a picture of you guys while inside your house. He said yes and she stalked around the place for a while taking different angles making sure you were all in the shot. Her work was supposed to get published in a book called "Families of the Future" but was later refused because some of the content went against the Empire. Your father never got the picture and she had to go into hiding because the Empire was after her for some illegal shots. I found her a couple days ago, talked to her for a while and she told me she still had the first draft of the book with all of the original photos. Flipping through I noticed one in particular with a sweet boy who looked too familiar. I asked her if I could have it and she said go for it. She had no use for them now, but if we defeat the Empire any time soon she's gonna want that photo back just so she can publish her book." She winked with a smile and he looked down at the photo with tears swelling his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and looked back into the box to see a book the size of his hand.

"And this?" He asked.

"Oh, that's a small journal so you can recount your days and maybe one day we'll find your parents and you can show them all the good you've been doing. I wrote on the first page but the rest is yours." Ezra made to open the journal but caught him. "No, don't open it. Read it later." She stated with a scowl, he opened it anyways and saw the words scrawled across the page in big bold letters: "I TOLD YOU NOT TO LOOK!"

Ezra sighed before closing the journal with a smile. He reached inside the box to find a circular locket resting inside his hand. "It was my mothers." She began.

"Annie, I can't."

"No, no. I will not use it anytime soon. I have no use for it." She waved her arms at him. "I placed two small pictures inside so that you will never forget those who are your family. Your rightful family and your make-shift family." Ezra looked at her with such happiness before turning his head down to the locket to open it up. His hands were shaking but in no time he got it open with a small laugh. It was the previous picture of him and his parents, only a copy, and an old copy of a picture the crew all took together one day insisted by Sabine. Ezra stared at it for a second longer before lunging at Andromeda, sobbing.

"Thank you so much." He sobbed into her shirt, all those years feeling lost even with her he had finally seen the light and saw he had missed the only thing he ever needed, Andromeda, Kanan, the crew, everyone. They all had made such an impact on him that now it seemed weird to think he had a bigger family than just Andromeda. He was safe, protected, and loved by these people and after a couple months only.

"Hey, Ezra. Do not cry about it, wait until the magically sweet sixteen!" She said happily.

"Andromeda. Ezra! Come on, we need to get going." Kanan called up to the two and they both quickly scrambled down.

"Hey Kanan, catch!" Andromeda called throwing the tray over board. Kanan quickly caught the tray with his mind a bit rattled by the suddenness of her call and a second later it fell to the ground.

She jumped down with a glum face as she looked down to see her now broken tea cups. "Anne-Marie!" Ezra called to her as he stumbled with the very light box.

"Ezra, it's not that heavy." She chastised as she slowly walked over to take it from his grasp. He jumped after her and the two headed inside leaving Kanan and the broken tea cups and tray behind.

(•-•)

"I'm staying."

"No you're not."

"Yes… I am!"

"No, Ezra needs to train without distraction."

"He's already distracted and I told you to give him a day off. Today is a bad day." Andromeda stated, annoyed, stamping her foot down.

"How do you know? You read what kind of day people are going to have now?" Kanan asked throwing his hands up into the air to emphasize.

"Kanan. I'm staying." She stated, sitting down on the ground in defiance. Kanan sighed but turned back to the slightly smirking Ezra.

"Once we begin, there's no turning back. Got it? Now, follow my lead." Kanan instructed, just the slightest bit tense from the glaring eyes that were stabbing him in the back from behind. "Step outside of yourself. Make a connection with another being." Kanan was saying, with that simplistic kind of voice.

"Can we do this another day?" Ezra asked with a huff, watching the tall grass annoyed.

"We can do it now. Focus." Kanan chastised, looking over at Ezra, his face showing all of his agitation.

"Just throw the rock." Ezra snapped. Andromeda, usually, would have cut in but from knowing what was happening today and the way Kanan wouldn't listen to her she didn't really care. Kanan threw the rock out into the field hitting a small creature right in the head. The thing crawled out, growling and making terrible screeching noises as it approached the two. "I don't think he wants to connect." Ezra muttered to Kanan stepping back slightly.

"You're resisting. He can sense it." Kanan said lightly, but in any way he would have said it, his statement would have ticked him off anyway.

"He can sense?" Ezra asked with frustration as he stared at Kanan in disbelief. "What is he, like, a Padawan cat?" His hand flung out to point at the cat and in an instant it was on top of him screeching. "Oh!"

Kanan chuckled as he watched on. "You don't seem to be getting this." From behind he felt immediate pain and clutched at the back of his head to see Andromeda with her hand close to her face.

"Ow! What was that for?" He asked.

"Laughing at him when I told you-"

Ezra quickly cut in even though her argument was being cut off there was still going to be another. "I get that this furball's trying to kill me." The cat screeched once more and Ezra had it with all of this nonsense. "Give me your lightsaber, and I'll make a connection."

"Excuse me?" Kanan asked, offended making a face at the young Padawan.

"Sorry. I just don't see the point of this." Ezra sighed guilty at what he had said before hand. It was just all that pent up anger and frustration was coming back at him and the only one he could talk to now was Andromeda.

"The point is that you're not alone. You're connected to every living thing in the universe but to discover that you have to let your guard down. You have to be willing to attach to others." The Jedi Cowboy threw out his hand to the cat and in just a few seconds it turned from screeching horror to lovely meowing.

"And what if I can't?" The Padawan asked looking down to his fiddling hands.

"If you hang on to your past, if you always try to protect yourself, you'll never be a Jedi." Kanan stated, Ezra watched him for a moment and noticed Andromeda standing behind him seemingly happy but in her eyes as she skipped rocks along the ground, her dark cloak that she wore on occasion over her dark top that came to an inch under her breasts and pants that met it right above her belly button. Dark boots scuffing the ground and tangled uneven white hair that was matted up into a bun with the underside resting along her back. He had never really noticed how beautifully dark she had always been.

He looked back to Kanan with a small shrug. "Then maybe I'll never be a Jedi."

"Duck, you don't want to end up like me. Running away from everything because you don't get it the first time." Andromeda stated looking at him only for a second.

"Kid, whatever's going on with you, you need to spill it." He asked, worried. All Andromeda had stated with him not having a good day, his attitude, it was all starting to click into place he just didn't understand what was so bad about today.

"I'm sorry Kanan. I don't mean to wear you out. Today's not a good day. It's never a good day." He mumbled, looking away.

"Today?"

"Empire day." Ezra pointed out as the sounds of engines rang from above them. "What are so many TIEs doing out this far?"

"Nothing good. Come on." Kanan shouted, the three dashing off.

"You don't have to tell him." Andromeda stated as they ran.

"I know."

(•-•)

The three ran into the city and into a small bar where the other three had come to also. The three sat at a bar, diagonal of Hera and Zeb's seats in a booth. A Trooper walked over to the two about to question them until he got called over.

The Troopers held a Rodian, who was frantically confused by the sudden disruption in his day. He held up a picture of a Rodian and held it up to his face to see if they had more in common than just there race.

Ezra glanced over with the other two. "Tseebo?"

"What?" Kanan asked, looking over to the boy in the middle of them.

"Nothing." Ezra quickly dismissed as they continued to watch.

"He's not the one." The Trooper stated, the others threw him away and the main man walked to the counter. "The Imperial HoloNet broadcast should play here at all times!" The Trooper demanded, slamming his fist down.

"No one's requested it for, well, ever." The bartender stated with a rebellious kind of attitude.

"It's the law." The Trooper seethed at the creature who turned it on for as long as he stayed.

"…because today is Empire Day, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the galaxy's salvation, when our great Emperor Palpatine ended the Clone Wars and founded our glorious Empire." A reporter was talking when the screen came up showing pictures of what today was all about. Ezra was slowly growing more and more enraged the more the screen played over the last fifteen years of his life. Andromeda noticed his sudden mood change and began massaging lightly at his neck, where a mother cat would pick up its child by the scruff. He calmed slightly but continued to tense at the words playing. "On Lothal, Governor Pryce has commissioned a parade."

"You heard the man! Raise your cups to Emperor Citizen-" The Trooper demanded to a party sitting at a table together.

"-this is Senator-in-exile Gall Trayvis." A new voice called after the static came across and was intersected by Trayvis. "I bring more news the Empire doesn't want you to hear. I urge you to boycott all Empire Day celebrations to protest the ongoing injustices of the Imperial regime."

The lead Trooper went stomping over to the bar tender infuriated at the proceedings. "Shut this off!" He exclaimed.

"Can't. "It's the law". The sassy bartender left it going as he continued to wash the cup.

"We're done here." He shouted to his troops and walked out in annoyance.

Trayvis was finished and the regular casting came back over. "So come see the parade and-" The bar tender shut it back off knowing that the Troopers were long gone.

"TIE pilots on search patrols?" Kanan asked turning to the bar tender curiously. "What's going on?"

"Imperials have locked down the ports and put Destroyers in orbit. It's a full planetary blockade." He explained to them helpfully.

"They're after a Rodian." The three turned back to the man they accused earlier sitting at a table as Sabine and the others showed up.

"Just be glad they're not after us for once." She stated, looking down at them with a small smile.

"With what we've got planned for today's parade, they'll be after us again tomorrow." Kanan said with a big grin as he cracked his knuckles with enthusiasm.

"Well, you're gonna have to do it without me." Ezra stated getting up to leave.

"Where do you think yo-" Kanan made to stand only to collide into Andromeda's hand and took the full force falling back into his chair. He looked over to her, seeing her glare and shut his mouth.

"I just need to be alone. Today has brought back some memories." Ezra sighed making his way out, but was caught by Andromeda in a second.

"Hey, Tseebo, your parents friend right?" She asked looking at him quietly.

"Yeah, him." He sighed hugging himself.

"If I see him tonight I'll watch out for him." She said with a small smile, Ezra looked shocked.

"You're not coming with me?" He asked his big blue eyes wide and confused.

"It's your day and you need to be alone. Your make-shift momma can't be there for you forever." She said with a small smile kissing his cheek lightly. He hugged her tight and whispered to her.

"I hope you always will be, though." He sighed before letting go and making his way away.

(•-•)

Ezra stood on top of his old home with Andromeda watching the old city thinking of what had happened today already. "Why are they looking for Tseebo?" He asked, staring for a bit longer before walking into the main room to see an old box waiting for him.

Slowly opening it he found a small key that held his parents last words to him. A small footprint of his parents was left on an old key. "Ezra." A light voice said, a woman into the thin air of the room. "Mom?" He asked going back to the small recorder. "Ezra." A more direct, fatherly voice called. Ezra sighed looking down. "Dad."

"Ezra, we have to stand up for people in need, especially those in trouble with the Empire." In a second it clicked in Ezra's head looking down at the thing.

"Tseebo. I know where he is."

(•-•)

The streets were filled with the community of the local city on Lothal with Minister Tua standing in the place of Governor Pryce. It was quite beautiful if it weren't for the Empire and celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of the destructive government. The five made their way into the proceedings and double checking they all knew what they were doing.

"Citizens, I am Minister Maketh Tua." The woman exclaimed to the crowd with a proud smile on her face. "Governor Pryce sends her regrets, but she was invited to Coruscant celebrate with Emperor Palpatine himself!" She called to the crowd getting applauses.

A Rodian man stood applauding when Callus walked up behind him quickly identifying him and seeing he was not the man they were looking for. "Enjoy the celebration, citizens." The Troopers walked off.

The three ran in after their double check and quickly stopped once more to look at the crowd. "Okay, let's start the celebration." Kanan said.

Sabine agreed. "Copy that. Commencing festivities." She pulled her helmet overhead before running off with Zeb, the other three running in the other direction.

"Lothal is just as important to our Empire as any world in the galaxy and she wanted me to show you why. Citizens, I present you with the latest vessel from Lothal's Imperial shipyards, the Sienar Systems advanced TIE starfighter!" Tua exclaimed showing off the TIE pushed into the streets at the moment.

Kanan and Hera were left alone together as Andromeda made her way up a nearby building position ready. "Pretty, isn't it?" He asked with a smirk knowing her love of even the Empire's ships.

"Yeah." She smirked up at him. "I almost feel bad about blowing it up."

"I sense we'll need to make a quick exit." Kanan said jokingly as the two made their routes.

Tua continued her speech about the TIE as Zeb and Sabine stood next to each other listening in before Sabine quickly turned to Zeb with a small detonator. "Okay, when I say "now" throw this as high as you can." She said with a smile handing it to him, the beeping going faster by the second.

"Okay." He noticed the beeping and was cautious with it. "Now?" He asked starting to get jittery with the thing in his hand. "Now?" He asked again the beeping even faster. "NOW?"

Sabine turned to him and lightly said: "Now." The detonator flew high in the air and exploded creating fireworks to explode in the air for a distraction to all.

"Another?" Sabine asked after a minute handing it over to Zeb.

"Don't mind if I do." Zeb smirked throwing it once more into the air.

Andromeda watched in amusement and amazement at the citizens and the fireworks going on overhead, so distracted by such a trivial matter it made her laugh only slightly. She watched as Kanan made his way over to the TIE and placing the explosive on its wing. She saw one of the Troopers bugging him about what he was doing so, jumping down from her spot she quickly made her way around the bend and called out to him. "Sweetheart! What are you doing walking off like that? The fireworks are going off you're going to miss them! And that TIE fighter. What a beauty!" She exclaimed walking up to him and linking arms with him.

"Yeah but, I wanted to talk to this Trooper about the beauty of our nation." He stated in a dopey voice looking to the Trooper with a lazy smile. "Did you see it? It's so beautiful! All the colors!" He sighed leaning into Andromeda as if he were stunned by it. "It's like a rainbow." Andromeda noticed Ezra running by and quickly called out to him.

"Arze! Darling! Come here and help me with your father!" Ezra came running down the pass hearing his alias name.

"Dad, what are you doing? You're going to give mom a heart attack." He turned to the Trooper grabbing his 'dad's' arm and dragging him away with Andromeda. "Sorry, mister. My dad is just so patriotic, you know.

"Empire Day! I love it! All hail our glorious Empire! Right." Kanan shouted raising his fist in the air dragging Andromeda's with him.

"Well, move along." The Trooper said, pushing them off. In a second Kanan was back to normal, arms by his side, back straight and a not dopey look or voice.

"Thanks." He said to the both of them. "Shouldn't you be in position?" He asked Andromeda.

"I can shoot from here." She shrugged waiting.

"And where have you been?" He turned ot Ezra.

"Making some connections. How's the plan going?" He asked switching the subject.

"Just watch." A few seconds later Andromeda took position where she stood and at the moment the TIE went off the screen overhead of Tua and the others fell from its hinges. Harming no one but scaring them enough so they'd run off.

The three ran off quickly meeting up with Zeb and Sabine. "Nice of you to join us, kid." Sabine said threw her helmet, Ezra turned to her with a smirk. "Why? Did you miss me?"

Zeb laughed answering him. "Yeah, right."

The crew stopped looking back at the mess they made with a small smile on each of their faces. Zeb noticed one man in particular relatively close to them but not noticing the Rebels. "Been spoilin' to finish things with Agent Callus." Zeb muttered with a sort of happy tone as he pulled out his blaster aiming for the man.

Kanan walked up behind him noticing the Inquisitor walking out of the wreckage, a menacing look in his bright eyes as he glared out at the scene before him. "Hey, if you want to take somebody out, take out that guy!" He shouted pointing at him. Zeb groaned but gave a 'fine' as he repositioned his blaster to shoot at the skeleton like man. He ducked, missing the laser aimed right for him his eyes darting to the area where it came from to see no one.

"Spectre-2, we're en route to rendezvous." Kanan called to Hera over the comm.

"Negative, Spectre-1. The streets are blocked. I cannot, repeat, cannot reach rendezvous." Hera called to them frantically. The five looked at each other unsure of what to do know.

"I know a place we can hole up till things calm down, but Shoulders here might have a problem taking my route." Ezra stated pointing to Zeb for emphasis. Andromeda turned to look at Ezra for a moment confused as to why he would know of somewhere until she shocked herself with the revelation she came up with, it was evident on her face.

"Then we need another option." Kanan stated.

"Nah, its fine." Zeb dismissed going to his comm to call out to Hera. "Spectre-2, can you make it to the Old Market?" He asked.

"Affirmative."

"I'm on my way." Zeb stated, climbing up the side of the building beside him.

"Get back to the Ghost." Kanan called out to him. "We'll signal a new rendezvous when we can!"

"Follow me." Ezra called to the crew, the three following after him down the alley.

"Ezra, you don't mean-" Andromeda asked, looking to the boy with a bit of fright in her eyes.

"Yes, I do." He said, his face stoic as he continued to run in the familiar direction.

"But we haven't been there-"

"Yeah, I know." He sighed.

(•-•)

The four found themselves in front of a small house, boarded up on the windows and any holes that were made. They looked up at the home seeing the graffiti on the sides of it and old rocks budging to come out. Sabine took large note to the graffiti.

"That's an Imperial warning declaring this building off-limits." She stated, her finger pointing up at the many markings.

"What is this place?" Kanan asked as Andromeda lightly pushed past him to stand by Ezra.

"Do you have the key?" She asked quietly so the others wouldn't hear.

"Yeah." He whispered back quickly running it through the scanner causing it to beep in recognition, Kanan looked at Ezra's back knowingly.

"You were coming here today. This was your home, wasn't it, where you grew up?" Kanan asked not seeming to have the intelligence to gather it was a touchy subject, Andromeda turned to glare because of that lack of stupidity.

"I grew up on the streets, with my make-shift mom." He seethed, glaring harshly back at him annoyed and frustrated at Kanan seeing into his past more than he wanted him to, and Sabine was there too, she was going to think him weak for not being able to cope with his past.

"Then why here? Why now?" Kanan continued prompting as the two outsiders turned to walk inside with tense shoulders and stoic faces.

"Had this feeling." He muttered walking in slowly looking around at the momentums of his parent's capture. Once they were caught he went to living on the streets when a woman came up to him with white hair that framed her face and a long, elegant cloak residing behind her. She almost looked like royalty but her face was caked with dirt and her nails were chipped, he could see the look of terror and fleeing in her eyes. She bent down and gave him a small loaf of bread and a cup of water, then left. She would come back day after day bring more food some days and less the next but there always was the fill of bread in his stomach and his thirst quenched from the water. After a while Ezra asked her name and she responded. Then she began eating with him, winter hit and she took him under her wing and off. She told him she had no solid place to live but at least being together they could stay alive. Seven-year-old Ezra looked up at the woman with so much hope that it broke her heart slightly, he took her hand and they ran to a small house that was boarded up. His home, he would tell her all about his family and friends when he did live there but the topic of what happened never came up. A few weeks later Andromeda came home with a grin on her face. She had found them a home far from city life but close enough to go smuggle food for the night.

"Anne-Marie, come help me." Ezra called quietly the two standing in front of a light green ottoman and moving it out of the way to look inside the hole at the Rodian residing inside it, crying. "Tseebo." Ezra called down the hole, he looked up with fright before gasping at the sight of Ezra. "Tseebo, it's me. Ezra Bridger."

His soft crying stopped and small beeping noises came from the thing around his head. Tseebo climbed out of the hole speaking Huttese as he walked around the room and right into a wall. "That's the Rodian the Imperials are hunting. You know him?" Kanan asked looking at the two but by the way Andromeda shook her head he understood it was only Ezra who did.

"Name's Tseebo, a friend of my parents. But something's wrong. What's that thing on his head?" Ezra asked, motioning to his own head for example.

Sabine walked over to the confused Rodian and took a look at the clutch around his head. "Empire's been known to implant lower level technicians with cybernetic circuits. Personality sacrificed for productivity." The four stood watching Tseebo with a bit of sadness in their eyes as he rambled on.

"Tseebo went to work for the Imperial information office after the Empire took my parents away." Ezra said agitated crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

Kanan looked down at the kid with a sad look pass onto his features. "Your parents? You never told us." Kanan whispered, his voice taking a light tone also.

"What's to tell? They've been gone for eight years. I've been without them since I was seven." His anger turned into sadness as his crossed arms turned to lightly hugging himself and his head bent to the floor. Andromeda wrapped an arm around his shoulders trying to keep him with them. No need for him to be lost in his thoughts like he would when he was a kid.

"Seven. Imperial-" Tseebo began before walking away from Sabine speaking in Huttese once more.

"What's he saying?" Kanan asked scratching his head in confusion.

"He's detailing Imperial fighter deployments on Lothal." Sabine exclaimed excitedly as she turned to Kanan.

"That's it. Tseebo has intel the Empire doesn't want out." She said with a big smile looking at them.

"Sabine, can you access it?" Kanan asked her, she began to walk over to Tseebo and behind him to fiddle with the cords.

"Uh, I think so but I need a few minutes."

Ezra looked to Andromeda making a look and she nodded lightly to indicate he could. Kanan looked back at the shuffling Ezra as he began down the tube. "Ezra. You okay?"

"I'm fine." He bit out going down.

"I told you," Kanan turned so he would be looking down at Ezra with his hands sitting on his sides.

"I said I'm fine." Ezra stated annoyed going down.

"Ezra Bridger, son of Ephraim and Mira Bridger, born fifteen years ago today." Tseebo stated causing Andromeda to turn to look at the Rodian with wide eyes. The damn thing spilling Ezra's secrets to the two.

"'Empire Day'. It's Ezra's birthday." Sabine whispered out astonished.

"Did you know?" Kanan asked turning around to look at Andromeda.

"What kind of question is that? I've known that kid since he was seven and he would be so excited for his birthday until he was nine and realized what was happening on his birthday." She stated, hands on her hips and lip jutted. Sabine went back to tinkering with Tseebo for a few minutes before declaring she was done. She went back down for Ezra and the two came back up in a few seconds.

The four stood around Sabine as she activated his mind, for a second it was useless jabber and twitching until he came to stop and holograms came out of his clutch.

"What are we looking at?" Kanan asked not even taking a few seconds to look at it.

"It's" Sabine walked up to the screen lightly touching it with awe.

"Everything." Andromeda stated watching the screens flick by and by with a small smile on her face.

"Imperial specs on the new TIEs and new T-8 Disruptors. Schedules of troop movements, tactics and strategies. Half of it's encrypted, but it looks like there's a five-year plan for Lothal and every other world in the Outer Rim." Sabine stated looking at the fidgeting boys standing to her right, Andromeda to her left.

Tseebo jerked around suddenly and the images before them shorted out back into the clutch. Ezra looked to Sabine to point out his idea. "No wonder his brain's shorting out, all that data'd overload anyone."

"The secrets in his head must be damaging to the Empire. We'll need to smuggle him off Lothal." Kanan stated looking at the three.

"Well I think the city's our first priority here." Andromeda pointed out looking over to Tseebo who was just staring off blankly.

"You know the only reason the Imperials haven't caught him yet is because their forces were occupied with Empire Day but the day's almost done." Sabine pointed out trying to figure out a way that would be best in her mind to get him to the Ghost, perhaps. A clank sounded and the Rodian was on the floor, palms to their face all groaning.

(•-•)

The three made their way out of the Bridger household, looking down the road to see a boxcar and a couple of Troopers standing nearby. They agreed Sabine and Andromeda go first to knock out the first two Troopers and then Kanan with the third and Ezra dragging along Tseebo.

Sabine and Andromeda made their way out, rushing forward towards the two Troopers. Shocked they hastily took positions but Sabine knocked the first guy out with a punch right to his helmet while Andromeda slid behind the Trooper quickly knocked off his helmet and when the time he turned around she quickly punched him right in the temple, knocking him unconscious as well. Kanan came up from behind walking up to the one closest to the boxcar, making a face, and knocking him down ushering them all inside.

"Come on, Tseebo." Ezra called pulling the uncalibrated Rodian along with him. Andromeda rushed over helping him push Tseebo in the care before turning to Kanan.

"Loved the face you made." She smirked, he smiled back.

"Yeah?" He asked, leaning against the side of the boxcar.

"WOULD YOU TWO LOVE BIRDS COME IN HERE? WE ARE IN A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION!" Ezra shouted from inside the car, the two quickly scrambled inside heads down a bit, ashamed. Andromeda quickly kicked the two from the front seats and made it her job to keep them safe.

"What are you doing?" Kanan asked trying to sit in the seat next to her.

"Don't you dare." She warned looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"Why not?" He asked sitting down anyway.

"Because we're about to slam right into another one of these things when we pass checkpoint and we need some of you to be uninjured." She stated, quickly throwing one of her hands to her side aiming at his stomach to move him away.

"No, no dear. If anything I should be the one doing this." He said with a smirk like grin on his face, brightening his features. She took no matter in calling Ezra over to hold the steering wheel while she pushed Kanan out of his seat and to the back then shooing Ezra away.

"Alright, loves. Duck down and hold your necks, this isn't going to be pretty." She said turning back to stare at them until they did as she told them. The four made their way to the floor clutching their necks in a crouch, moments later the ship shook from shots at the boxcar and quickly it shot right back. The general from the Academy stood awaiting them, shoving his arms in front of him and calling out for them to stop but she sped up just the slightest bit more showing she wasn't backing down. The three most interested ones lifted their heads up so they could see the car fly through the other, all crouching up slightly to see. It rocked harshly knocking them around in the back. Ezra laughed happily at what happened and looked at Andromeda gleefully.

"EVERYONE TO THE RIGHT SIDE!" Andromeda yelled back to them trying to gain more speed but it seemed she was already going over the speed it held. An electric shock went through the door and in a second the door flung open with a Trooper swooping in knocking down Ezra. He chuckled lightly walking towards him before he was knocked into the wall by Kanan, Sabine having been called to help Andromeda keep the boxcar steady.

The second boxcar holding Agent Callus was only feet away from them coming closer and closer with every second until it latched onto the tail end. Footsteps could be heard on the top of the rood as Callus walked along it, trying to seize the Rebels and take back the Rodian.

The Ghost flew down and Zeb appeared in the door way ready to take down Callus in one fowl swoop, his weapon at the ready. "Remember me?" He asked before shooting red lasers at the man.

The boxcar continued to go as fast as it could with Sabine helping the driver out. "Call the Ghost and tell her were going too fast." Andromeda asked Sabine keeping herself steady on speed.

"Spectre-5 to Ghost. We're coming in hot."

The Ghost sat in the sky, ready to bring them in once they got rid of the Imperial Troops behind them. Hera began clicking buttons as she flew the Ghost above, calling out to Chopper. "Shields holding, but I need that transport taken out. Chopper, you got this?" She asked turning as the Droid made it's way to a blaster for him and shot down at the transport taking a couple times before hitting its target, shooting the boxcar far away. Whooping in happiness at its luck.

Zeb stuck his head outside the ship, looking back to see Callus continue to stand on the roof before he was shot down by Zeb.

"Okay you're all clear. Pull over, and we'll-" Zeb called over the comm before he was cut off by Hera frantically piloting her ship and talking to them.

"Belay that. Has to be a scoop job. Sensors reading multiple TIEs incoming."

"TIE fighters will begin mass-production on Lothal within the next six weeks." Tseebo stated as Ezra helped him off the ground.

"You're just full of fun facts." Ezra said with a smile, unlike the rest of the day he was having he had finally found himself light.

The four quickly scrambled off the ship, lugging Tseebo outside. Andromeda took a few more seconds of driving before finding the auto-pilot button and pulling herself up and onto the roof with the others. She stood close to Kanan near the back when one of Callus' shots flew by her and grazed her left arm a bit more than she would have liked.

"Go, go!" Kanan shouted lightly pushing her up the ramp as she clutched her arm. Kanan took his lightsaber out connecting it and blocking his shots before jumping up and landing on the platform.

"I need my gunners. Shields won't hold long under this barrage." Hera called out to the ship as she rocked the ship back and forth.

"Almost there." Kanan called back climbing up the ladder to his gunner.

The ship rocked and blacked out for a minute, they were shot. "Karabast! That came from behind! Is that scrap head even payin' attention?" Zeb asked climbing up to where Chopper was stationed, dead from the sparks.

Sabine looked behind her to see the injured and the child with a look of guilt. "I have to man the nose guns." She stated about to walk out.

"I'm coming with." Ezra called about to follow before the ship rocked harshly and knocked him into Tseebo the two hitting their heads. From the hit it must have knocked something in his brain back together because in a second Tseebo gasped at the older face of Ezra.

"Ezra? Ezra Bridger." He asked, getting up walking towards him trying to get within reach of him. "It is you!" He gasped.

"Yeah, Tseebo it's me, but now's not the best time for a reunion." Ezra rushed out holding his hands in front of him as he kept walking towards him, his hand now on Ezra's shoulder.

"Ezra Bridger." His language changed and neither of them knew what he said except for Sabine.

"What's he saying?" Ezra asked pointing to Tseebo.

"He says…" Sabine took in what Tseebo said, looking Ezra in the eye. "He says he knows what happened to your parents." She gasped.

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**If I asked for as many reviews as I have followers, would that happen?**


	11. Fear(s)

**Welcome back! Two days later I was happy so I decided to stay up late for another chapter!**

**Guest: So, I don't know if this pleases your fancy but… hey! I tried… maybe. If not well then! **

**AshlyneeDragnee: I'm so glad you came over to the Dark Side…? Rebel side? Whatever side we're glad you're here… Cookie?**

**TeamFinnickandAnnie: Woohoo! Here it is.**

**LoloLovesAnime: Hah yeah I just did it to see if we'd get anywhere. If you hadn't commented and other people favorites we'd be at the same number of reviews and followers, then we'd all be smart asses know wouldn't we. OMG thanks I was bored one day at a restaurant and put her through a mary-sue tester it came back negative so we're good. I'm so happy you noticed! I guess… but still woo! I really like you right now because this is the best feedback I've gotten for this story. I don't think Landon's getting in. I'll probably delete the chapters afterwards but if people want him… (I could always write a AU version of this story into that one, after all these other stories I'm doing though).**

**Enjoy!**

The Ghost was up in sorts, from the injured, to an illegal alien, to being attacked from behind by the Empire. Green lasers made their way to the back of the Ghost shaking it around making it unstable to walk for the passengers.

"Chopper, I'm rolling us starboard." Hera shouted behind her, unknowing that Chopper was down. Zeb ran down the hallway to see what had happened to the Droid seeing it spark on the floor. "Karabast! Chopper's down!" Zeb shouted pulling up the Droid. "Ow. Ow!" Zeb hissed as he opened the steaming door. "I've got you covered, Hera. Roll away!" He told her, plopping into his seat.

"Open fire." Hera called, letting the shots go.

Sabine, Ezra, and Andromeda stood in the living room staring at each other with bits of shock on their features. Andromeda had begun dressing her wound by tearing her shirt up. It was almost finished when Sabine told them what Tseebo had said.

"Sabine, I need you in the nose gun, now!" Hera shouted through the comm, Sabine moved slightly but watched Ezra unsure of what to do.

"Didn't you hear Hera?" Ezra snapped.

"Didn't you hear Tseebo?" Sabine said trying to show Ezra the importance of the matter. "He said he knows what happened to your parents." She seemed distressed as if she understood somehow, she knew this would be something wonderful for him.

"I already know what happened. They're dead." He snapped once more glaring at her, his eyebrows furrowed and breathing hard. "So go." He dismissed.

"Ez-" Andromeda began but Ezra started to grill Tseebo desperately.

"Are they? Are my parents dead?"

(-_-)

"Someone want to explain to me why we're extra popular tonight?" Hera asked over her comm as everyone adjusted to their positions.

"We've picked up a passenger the Rodian the imperials are hunting." Kanan stated, shooting away at the enemy ships.

"And he's important because?" Hera asked letting them finish her sentence.

Sabine hopped into her seat, firing when ready. "Because his cybernetic implant has downloaded half the Empire's secrets."

Hera nodded with a shrug understanding more now. "Okay, I can see why that's important. Let's get him out of here."

(-_-)

"The Bridger's should hide. The Troopers came. They took Mira and Ephraim Bridger away." Tseebo was spouting out as Ezra walked closer to the Rodian, dreading his answer.

"Where? Where did they take them?" Ezra shouted, shaking his shoulders annoyed.

"Forgive Tseebo." The Rodian sighed clutching at his eyes in despair. "Forgive him."

"Forgive you?" Ezra spat back.

"Ezra." Andromeda said.

"Andromeda stay out of this!" Ezra shot back annoyed.

"Tseebo was afraid. Tseebo could not raise Ezra Bridger." Tseebo continued.

"Coward!" Ezra roared, pushing Tseebo. "You could have stopped them! Why didn't you stop them?!" Ezra continued, near tears. Tseebo reacted by his shouts, pulling away from his tight grip whimpering. "Tseebo!"

"Shields down! Ezra, I need you in the cockpit and Andromeda go to the right side arm.." Hera shouted over the comm placed inside the room.

"Yeah. On my way." Ezra replied back more annoyed then seemingly helpful. Andromeda just gave a small 'yes ma'am' but unable to leave Ezra on his own in his state.

"Forgive you? My parents trusted you and you failed them and you failed me. Good thing Andromeda came along so I wouldn't die in the first winter. I'll never forgive you for what you did." Ezra seethed before running away and to Hera's aid. Andromeda watched him leave and watched the now fully able Tseebo watch him sadly.

"Just sit down, we'll be back for you later." She whispered, pushing him lightly into the small booth. She quickly skidded through the halls and up the ladder into the small shooting room, quickly taking rounds at it.

Ezra ran into the room watching as Hera aired out smoke coming up from the control panel. "Nav-computer's off-line, with Chopper down I need you to fix it." Hera told him quickly looking back to the space before her.

"Not exactly my specialty." Ezra muttered ducking down to see what had happened.

"Well make it your specialty and make it fast." She tensed after looking at Ezra seeing the ships coming for them. "Or this ship becomes a real ghost."

A few minutes went on of Hera dodging and Ezra trying to figure out what he was doing. "Could really use that nav-computer!" Hera called dodging another blast, green shots coming her ship as well.

"Rewiring fast as I-" Ezra began leaning out of his small burrow under the console before the door opened up for Tseebo to walk inside and crouch underneath the console with him.

"For fast travel over interstellar distances, hyperspace is optimal." Tseebo recited before he went under.

"What is he doing?" Hera asked startled by his entrance. A beeping sounded from the dashboard right beside her as green and white lights lit up signaling its repair. "I don't believe it." She grinned as they flew into hyperspace, blurring past the Imperial troops after them.

"Hang on!" Ezra called stabling Tseebo to stay inside the cockpit. "Uh, Hera. This is Tseebo." Ezra introduced a bit nervously since he had just been shouting at the Rodian.

"And did Tseebo just signal hyperspace coordinates directly to my ship?" Hera asked curiously with a smirk on her lips as she looked over to Ezra.

"That would be my guess." Ezra chuckled nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Well then thank you Tseebo." She sighed in relief. "I think you saved our lives."

"Yeah, I guess there's a first for everything." Ezra grumbled crossing his arms, the grudge he withheld came on full force.

(-_-)

The seven crew members and Tseebo sat around fiddling around as Hera and Sabine fixed Chopper up from his earlier shock and Kanan redressing the bled through Andromeda's wound.

"It's a nasty burn." He whispered to her hesitantly as he tightly bound her arm.

"It's only a graze." She whispered back watching Tseebo stare blankly ahead of him. Kanan patted her shoulder walking over to the Rodian curiously.

"So? Now what do we do with him?" Ezra asked with huff, placing his head on top of his head.

"We have a few ideas." Kanan stated, waving a hand in front of his face before making his way to Ezra leaning across the table a bit. "But you're the one who has history with Tseebo. What do you think we do with him?" Kanan asked haphazardly, still not sure the full story what had gone on between the three (Sabine included).

Ezra looked at him for a moment longer with a frown before grabbing the helmet that sat beside him and onto his own head to keep himself at a distance from the others. "Don't know. Don't much care." He replied crossing his arms over his chest. A knock on his helmet rattled his brain and Ezra turned to look at the frustrated looking Andromeda. "What was that for?" He asked just as frustrated.

"For being difficult." She shot back, glaring. When Ezra wanted to he acted as if she didn't raise him.

"Ezra, you'll never advance as a Jedi if you can't be honest with yourself, at least." Kanan sighed rubbing a hand over his face.

"Not even a Jedi Ezra, just in life itself." Andromeda explained a worried look now adorning her features.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ezra shrugged, shoveling himself out of the semicircle booth and towards the door. Kanan caught him though pulling off his helmet in the haste.

"It means Tseebo matters to you. You do care what happens to him." Kanan said, truly astonished that Ezra could hold a grudge for so long.

"Why should I? He did nothing to save my parents!" Ezra shouted back his heavy heart protruding through his speech.

"What could he have done against the entire Empire?" The Jedi asked proving his point but to deaf ears.

Sabine had been watching on, standing to her feet to give her input. "And besides, look at what he's done since." She said taking Tseebo's face into her hands. "The Imperials encourage these implants, but they're no mandatory."

"Not yet, at least." Andromeda pointed out, Sabine nodded her agreement.

"Exactly. So he must have volunteered and then he uploaded their secrets and ran." She continued, the cogs in her mind relishing in the thought process of what had happened to Tseebo. "Maybe he's trying to make up for letting you down. Why else would he take on the Empire alone?" She concluded looking amused by her theory.

"Empire." Tseebo stated before speaking off in his language. Sabine listened contemplatively as she listened to him.

"He said the Empire can track the Ghost." She said with the slightest dilation of her eyes in fear.

"Oh please." Zeb scoffed standing up from a chair in front of the booth. "The Imperials can't follow us through hyperspace."

Tseebo concentrated for a moment before an image released from his implant. "Imperial XX-23 S-thread tracker was developed by Sienar systems to trace ships through hyperspace to destination." The crew, minus Hera, all surrounded Tseebo as they looked at the hologram in front of them.

Kanan skeptically looked over to Hera, the smallest bit of fear laced in his voice. "Hera, could they have tagged us with that thing?"

"Guess we better find out." Hera said turning one last thing on Chopper before the Droid came back to life and in a moment he was twirling in a panic. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, Calm down, Chop. You were just off-line for a few minutes." She reassured him, patting his head lightly.

Hera stood, hands on her hips. "We need you to scan the Ghost for that." She pointed over to the hologram, Chopper responding with a series of beeps.

"Stop grumbling and find that tracker, you rust bucket!" Zeb called, lightly kicking him. The Droid continued grumbling as he rolled away.

(-_-)

The four original crew members sat in their seats, Zeb continuously offering his seat to Andromeda who was injured. She continuously refused him. It went on until Chopper came back with the report. She stayed in her spot next to Ezra, lightly rubbing at the nape of his neck in comfort.

"So they did tag us." Sabine stated looking at the blueprint in front of her.

"Yes, but the good news is the tracer's actually on the hull of the Phantom." Hera indicated.

"How is that good news exactly?" Zeb inquired looking over to Hera exasperated.

"It'll allow us to detach the Phantom and lure the Imperials away from the Ghost and Tseebo." Kanan replied, leaning in to explain.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sabine began her hands up in front of her to catch their attention. "You want to detach while in hyperspace? Do you know how incredibly dangerous that is?"

"Not as dangerous as what I plan to do with the ship." Kanan stated, getting an eye roll from Andromeda for his ridiculous plans.

"Can't wait to hear this." Zeb laughed, looking to his leader intrigued.

"I checked our current trajectory. If you can modify the hyperspace coordinates." He began turning to Hera.

"I could." She agreed, sitting back in her seat.

"Then we can pass by the asteroid field where the old clone base is." Kanan concluded, folding his hands together.

All of their eyes went wide at his prospect. "You mean the base with the nasties who live in the shadows?" Sabine asked, it had only been a couple months since the incident and all three of those who had been there weren't anticipating on going back.

"Wait, what?" Ezra broke in looking at the crew with wide blue eyes. "Why would we want to go down there?"

"He's right Kanan." Hera agreed.

"Why not just drop the Phantom into our trail and let the Imperials chase after their tracker?" Sabine suggested, trying to let Kanan see a better, safer plan.

"This plan is a death sentence if you go through with it." Andromeda lamented to Kanan her face desperate and pale, hoping he wouldn't.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, you'll be right there beside me." He grinned, his eyes closing from the strain. He looked back at everyone telling them of what he knew. "There's more than a tracker at work here. Back on Lothal, I sensed it. The Inquisitor is on our trail, and as long as Ezra and I are on board the Ghost, we're jeopardizing Tseebo's escape." He admitted.

"So I gotta leave the Ghost and go to this nasty-filled asteroid as a favor to Tseebo?" Ezra observed with a scowl on his lips. Andromeda's hand raised and smacked him right in the back of the head. He instantly tended to it with his hand, but didn't say any more on the matter.

"As a favor to all of us, and don't worry." He smiled cockily once more. "I'll be right beside you." Andromeda cleared her throat. "And your mother too." He joked, leaning back in his seat.

(-_-)

"Is he okay?" Kanan asked as he and Andromeda made preparations to the Phantom.

"No." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's been eight years since he's had a real parent around and the idea of them being alive, of Tseebo allowing his parents to be dragged off without trying, it's all too much for him." She muttered, connecting two wires and allowing them to spark.

"Yeah, maybe it's because of how everything turned south when we went to find Luminara." Kanan contributed, now thoughtful at his own statement.

"You mean because of something you thought was lost and now the hope of it being there only to be disappointed when found dead?" She asked, understanding fully.

"Exactly." He turned seeing the Phantom light up for a moment. "I'll go get Ezra." He said walking out of the room.

"He's in the kitchen." She called to him. Kanan found Ezra with his back to the door talking haughtily with Sabine.

"Sabine" Kanan heard Ezra sighed. "I've been on my own since I was seven, okay? If I'd let myself believe my folks were alive, if I let myself believe they'd come back and save me, I'd never have learned to survive." The door opened behind him, tensing instantly.

"You ready?" He asked a bit awkward at what he walked into. Ezra turned to Sabine for a long second before turning back to Kanan with a nod. "Okay." He led Ezra back to the Phantom where Andromeda waited sitting in her seat in the back. "Strap in." He called back sitting in the pilot's seat.

"Prepping for separation." Kanan called to Hera over the comm. "Once we're out of hyperspace, we'll head towards the asteroid base and lead the Empire there."

"You sure about this? You won't be any more welcome there than the Imperials." Hera said worriedly, making sure Kanan could live with going through such a plan.

"That's what I'm counting on." He muttered back.

"Just be safe." She said back. "And Andromeda?" She called, the hope in her voice regaining. "Look out for the boys, just like you always do."

"Yes, ma'am." Andromeda called.

"Ready for separation." Hear stated, allowing them lift off.

"Copy that, Ghost." Kanan responded, drumming his fingers once against the steering wheel.

"Five, four, three, two, one." Hera counted down. "Detach!" She shouted, Kanan hit the button instantly and the three began speeding through hyperspace at insane speed whites and pinks streaming in through the window and the weight of pressure against the Phantom made it unusually hard to work around. Kanan made his way to the control throwing them out and to a steady speed.

"Okay, okay." He chuckled looking back to check on the two. "That was the easy part." He stated positioning the ship towards the asteroid base. Kanan neared them closer to the base, Ezra and Andromeda were allowed to unbuckle and walk up behind his chair.

"Should we go over the plan again?" Ezra asked, looking around at what he could see.

"I never told you what the plan was." Kanan laughed looking over at his shoulder to him.

"He told me." Andromeda shrugged.

"Yeah, well that's because he likes you." Ezra shot back playfully, her cheeks went up in flames from where she stood in the back. Kanan laughed lightly at their antics but the slightest pink came over him too.

"You remember the nasty creatures Andromeda, Hera and Sabine found here?" Kanan queried continuing his voyage nearer to the nightmare. Which was the reason why Andromeda stayed near the back so she wouldn't have to see outside the window, breaths heaving in and out rapidly in anxiety.

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm gonna need you to connect with them like I was trying to teach you before if we're gonna survive this." Kanan said a cheerier tone jingling in his voice.

"Is now really the best time for a lesson?" He asked walking back to Andromeda and taking her hand in his, petting the back of her hand with his thumb.

"No, but I figure it's learning like you do best, by surviving." Kanan called back as they entered the hell ridden place.

"Kanan, I can't." He whispered. "I'm afraid."

Kanan laughed lightly at Ezra's statement before answering him. "I got news for you kid. Everyone's afraid, just like dear old mother right there, but admitting it as you just did makes you braver than most, and it's a step forward." Kanan assured him. Andromeda normally would have responded to his comment of her but slid down to the floor instead.

Ezra noticed her loss and kept her hand in his. "Yeah, into the jaws of a nightmare." Ezra said, seeing that they had entered the darkness.

"Okay, okay I'll get the tracking device off the Phantom, you two go make some new friends." Kanan said standing next to the two. Andromeda looked up shocked from her position.

"Two?" She asked her words quivering out of her lips.

"Yes two. Now stand up throw out the fear and become the brave you ought to be." He said pulling her up under her arms and to her shaky legs. He wrapped a hand around the two leading them out to face the dangers. "Here we go." He said leaving them to deal with the beasts as he climbed on top and ripping off the tracker.

Ezra stood with wide eyes as he watched the things begin to walk towards them menacingly. Ezra threw out his hands trying to get them to connect, Andromeda stood stalk still in fear. "One with the Force. One with the Force. I'm one with the Force. One with the Force. One with the Force."

Kanan jumped down seeing the beasts dangerously close to the two. "You're blocked! Let go." He called keeping them back some distance.

"I can't!" Ezra called back.

"Don't be afraid." Kanan shouted back. "You too Meda, let go of your past and see who you are now." He called to the two, she began to relax slightly but couldn't do much else.

"I'm not afraid of them." Ezra stated, his eyes closed and trying to concentrate.

"Then what?" Kanan called back.

"I don't know." He said his head beginning to bow in shame.

"Yes you do! Ezra! What are you afraid of?" Kanan asked, showing Ezra his mental block.

"I'm afraid of knowing." He whispered to himself before coursing that energy into something better, "I'm afraid of the truth!" He shouted, getting the beasts to attention. He began to cry just the smallest bit. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry. I forgive you, Tseebo!" He called into the air. Andromeda quickly running over to Ezra hugging him tightly.

The three began their formations, Kanan helping Andromeda to keep herself from becoming fearful of what lied ahead.

The Troopers came after a while, hot on their trail. They walked ahead of the Inquisitor searching the area in which they sat with their beasts behind them.

"Sir there over…here?" A trooper staggered seeing the three sat in position concentrating, the girl probably struggling the most, beads of sweat dripping on her forehead.

The Inquisitor made his appearance looking at the three, their hand sup unleashing the wrath of the creatures upon his Troopers. The Inquisitor only laughed at their plan. "This was your plan?" He laughed walking closer to them. "To lure us here and allow these creatures to do the work for you?"

"How do you think it's going?" Kanan asked watching the man continue his path.

"Pathetically,"

"Guess if you want something done right." He shrugged, standing to his feet with his light saber in hand going forward to battle with the Inquisitor. Andromeda made to stand to help only to be dragged back down by dizziness.

"Andromeda? What's wrong?" Ezra asked crawling over to her vexed.

"Dizzy." She stated very much in a daze like Tseebo. "Very dizzy." She said before relaxing into his arms, out cold. Ezra heard a thud and saw Kanan fly across the room. He took a moment's hesitation before running over to him to check his vitals and protect them from the Inquisitor.

"Your meager training is nothing in the face of true power." The Inquisitor teased walking closer to Ezra.

"You're not going near him!" Ezra shouted defensively taking up the light saber to protect the two. The light saber was cast out of his grip and into the Inquisitor's hand.

"I believe I am." He smiled as Ezra gave him a sheepish grin as if he got an A for effort at least. "In fact, it's time I end both Jedi and Padawan for good." He claimed shoving Ezra back with the Force and into a crack in the ground. "Your devotion to your master is admirable, but it will not save you." He relinquished stepping up.

"Get back!" Ezra shouted, taking a step back.

"Ah, yes, good. Go on. Unleash your anger." The Inquisitor urged with a smile. :I will teach you what your master could not. You don't have anything to teach me. The darkness is too strong for you, orphan. It is swallowing you up, even now." He continued, teasingly.

"No!"

"Your master will die."

"No!"

"Your 'mother' will die."

"No!"

"Your friends will die. And everything you've hoped for will be lost. This is the way the story ends." He continued turning Ezra into a flame of fury.

"No!" He shouted desperately hopping it all to be a dream. Something in the Force awakened causing Kanan and all the rocks around him to wake up.

"Ezra?" He called looking up to see his Padawan begin to find something deep within him. "No!" He shouted as a huge beastie came out of the hole and behind the young child making its way to the Inquisitor. Ezra continued to hold onto it for moments longer before it became too much and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. As the Inquisitor was distracted Kanan quickly got up and sped over to Ezra, taking up a blaster on the way.

"Ezra?" Kanan asked quietly, holding the boy in his arms.

"Kanan? What happened? I feel so cold." Ezra muttered pulling himself closer to Kanan for warmth.

"I know, it's okay, we're leaving." He said quickly picking up Ezra and off to the Phantom. The Inquisitor watched them run off before going back to his fight more desperately to catch them.

"Kanan! Andromeda…" He mumbled and Kanan groaned seeing the girl a ways away. Quickly pulling into the Force and dragging her to them he caught her in his other arm and to the Phantom.

The Inquisitor threw his light saber at the three Ezra had been quickly placed inside the Phantom and in a moment's flat Kanan had his light saber deflecting the other, then making his way inside the Phantom laying her down in the middle of the floor to rest uncomfortably.

They made it out alive at least, and once they were out from dangers Kanan made his way to comfort Ezra since Andromeda had been left unconscious, Ezra had tended to her wound with the Phantom's first aid kit but was all. Leaving himself to think alone.

"I saved us?" Ezra asked, confused and unsure of what he had done.

"You did." Kanan agreed.

"But something doesn't feel right." He said hugging his knees closer to himself, his sad eyes to the floor.

"If your will isn't strong enough when you open yourself to the Force, you become vulnerable to the dark side." Kanan explained.

"I was trying to protect you and Anne-Marie." He said quietly.

"I know, but your anger and fear caused that giant creature to attack." Kanan stated.

"I don't remember it."

Kanan exhaled with a bit of relief. "That's for the best. Your powers are growing do quickly, you weren't prepared. I didn't teach you what you needed to know. I'm sorry." He apologized the two left in their own silences, only sharing the staggered breathing of the woman on the floor.

(-_-)

"Welcome back you two plus the unconscious." Sabine greeted jokingly as Ezra and Kanan came down the ladder, with Andromeda over Kanan's shoulder.

"You outsmarted them again. Good job, boss." Zeb greeted happily.

"You guys made it." Hera sighed looking at them all.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Kanan asked with a smile.

"Never." She laughed. "Ezra, I have something to-" Hera began but was cut off by Kanan holding her back.

"Ezra needs a little time to himself right now." Kanan said allowing Ezra to pass. "We need to talk. Allow me to put Andromeda in her room first." He sighed looking down at the pilot who nodded. He took his leave to her room, setting her down. Beginning to leave she made a sound in the back of her throat, then noticed who stood in her room.

"You did him good." She said quietly. "You may not see it but you have. More than I have done in the past eight years." She laughed, Kanan was about to argue with her when: "Good night." She called flopping to her side and drifting back off to sleep. He sighed walking out to go see Hera.

(-_-)

Ezra sat in a side arm looking up at the stars that floated on by. Sabine walked quietly into the room behind him. "Rough couple of days." She said behind him.

"Yeah." He agreed, not looking away. "It's been strange."

"I have just what you need." She called pulling out the disk from his house and walking over to the console in front of him, he watched on with wide curious eyes. "It's the holo disk from your old house. It was pretty degraded, but I cleaned it up, and I found something."

She pushed it into a slot allowing a picture to appear in front of his with his parents, the calls for his parents earlier that day had been locked inside it calling "Mom? Dad." He watched on fascinated by it.

"Happy birthday, Ezra Bridger." She whispered next to him with a smile walking out of the room to allow him space.


	12. Our Faith and Patience

**This chapter is going to hold mostly Kanan and Ezra's time at the temple. **

**seleneraven1999: Thank you, kindly.**

**Stormcutter684: I'm quite a loser really, a real party pooper. Sorry to disappoint. :P I'm excited for this one, I think it's pretty fun but not as much Andromeda either, sorry again. **

**ToughGirlsRuleTheWorld: Damn, I know, same. I know, I'm am rather skilled at the art of adding people into things. Thank you for your input, so I'm not putting him in, too bad. Maybe I'll take his character idea for another story, not necessarily SWRebels but something else perhaps. *shrugs* who knows? (Yoda does). EZRA DOES GET A LIGHT SABER *INTERDIMESIONAL HIGH FIVE* I updated!**

"Have you seen Ezra?" Kanan asked, walking up to Andromeda who sat meditating n=in her room, Sabine nowhere in sight either.

"I believe Ezra and Sabine went off gallivanting together in town." She shrugged opening one eye to look at him. Kanan sighed, rolling a hand over his face stressed out. "Want some tea?" She asked, standing to her feet with a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah, I'd like that." He smiled back, allowing her to lead the way to the kitchen.

Andromeda set a honey lavender tea in front of him and a plain green tea for herself, cutting small slices of ginger to be placed inside as well. "I'm taking Ezra on a test to see if he is ready to become a Jedi." He muttered, sipping his hot tea lightly.

"And let me guess. I can't go." She said back stirring a small spoon in her tea not looking up from it. "Kanan, I was at the temple for some time. I went through basic training and the like, I may not have gone through that test because I ran away but I was prepared and told stories for it." She explained, setting her spoon down then placing her pale hand over his in comfort.

"I trust you." She said softly, squeezing his hand. "But do you trust yourself?" She stood, letting her words sink in.

Kanan made his way back to his room with the tea, which helped him also meditate with the holocron. Ezra was coming back any minute he knew and had to see a glimpse of Ezra's path. The light blue hologram before him closed, allowing the holocron to drop just as Ezra came to the door, instantly opening it. "Hey Kanan, sorry I'm late… I was with Sabine." He said with a small laugh to himself as he leaned up against the door frame. "So, you gonna invite me in?" He asked lightly, pushing Kanan farther.

"You didn't knock, so what makes you think you need an invite?" Kanan asked coming back from his meditation.

"I'm sorry." Ezra sighed, walking in taking Kanan's place as he stood up.

"Then you should knock first."

"Not for that. For missing training." Ezra restated guilty.

"It's all the same thing. The fact that you don't see it-" He stopped himself with a sigh. "Ezra, when we were on that asteroid, you made a dangerous connection through the Force. Now I have to know if you are ready." Kanan concluded, facing Ezra intensly.

"I am ready." Ezra quickly said before looking confused. "Wait. Ready for what?" He asked, looking back up to Kanan.

"For a test, a real challenge one that could determine if you're meant to be a Jedi or not."

"But you said I was a Jedi. Why else would you be training me?" Ezra asked, standing up confused by Kanan's claims.

"I never said you were a Jedi. I said you had the potential to become one. But you lack discipline, focus." Kanan explained, turning his back to the kid.

"If you're making all these claims you should go talk to Andromeda." Ezra joked, trying to lighten the mood but only received a glare from Kanan. "Come on." He groaned. "You know how I grew up. I'm not used to all these rules!" He exclaimed, his proclamation was true though. Andromeda was strict but she was still a child at the time and allowed him a certain freedom that wasn't mature or very well thought out in the long run. "Kanan I want to become the Jedi you see in me," He turned his back so that he was leaning over the bed, his fist scuffing the top bunk. "the one I don't always see in myself."

His master sighed with a small smile. "You're lucky I'm not my Master. She'd never let you get away with-"

"All the things you tried to get away with?" Ezra asked with a laugh.

Kanan glared once more in offence. "You want a second chance or not?"

"I mean, if you want to give me one." Ezra shrugged solemnly, lokoing to his wrapped hands.

"I'm not giving you anything." He stated before nodding his head to the door. "Now go prep the Phantom."

"As you say, Master." Ezra smiled walking out of the room.

Kanan sighed, gripping the bridge of his nose. "Ah, I might regret this."

"You have to do this, Kanan." Hera said concerned from beside him. "After what happened on the asteroid, you have to help him."

"I hope I can."

"I know you can."

:.:.:.:

Kanan approached the Phantom seeing Andromeda hovering over Ezra in a means of motherly love. "Alright you have food?" She asked, her eyes worriedly looking him over.

"In my left pocket."

"Water?"

"Right."

"Do you need extra clothes in case you guys are gone for longer than you thought?"

"Anne-Marie! Calm down, we'll be fine." He assured, gripping her hands telling her to breathe. "We'll be okay, mom." He whispered. She smiled at him, then turning to see Kanan watching amused.

"Take care of each other." She called, walking past him, a pat on the shoulder. Still unsure of where they stood with each other, even with the obvious attraction they weren't sure either were ready for a relationship.

"Yes mom!"

"Yes Meda!" The two called as she rounded the corner allowing them to take off.

:.:.:.:

"How are you taking this test the boys went on?" Hera asked as the two sat up in the cockpit, waiting for their return. Zeb still asleep and Sabine out in a nearby town once more.

"Um, I knew it was coming." Andromeda said softly, spinning around in the chair beside Hera's.

"You did?" She asked looking up from her polishing.

"Yeah, when I ran away from Courscant I was within weeks of completing the same test, I left four days prior to it." She stated absent mindly.

"What… caused you to run away?" The Twi'lek asked cautiously unsure if she was permitted to ask but Andromeda seemed to take no mind to it.

"It was natural. I felt caged again, unable to be myself. Conformed to what others wanted me to be. You know." She began looking over to Hera for a moment. "I ran away back to Lothal but not my home, making a new home with Ezra. Finding him and such. I allowed him to be free, like the wind almost. Never stuck to one place. But look at us now." She smiled.

"The great winds have settled down, it seems." Hera laughed with Andromeda following along.

:.:.:.:

"So, where are we headed for this test?" Ezra asked leaning up behind Kanan who was at the control panel. He turned in his seat to get up and sit at one of the back chairs.

"That's what you're gonna tell me. When I was your age," He began sitting down with Ezra across from him. "there were around ten thousand Jedi Knights defending the galaxy. Now, we are few. But in those days, we had small outposts, temples spread throughout the stars. The Empire sought out these temples and destroyed many of them, but not all. I want you to meditate, let the Force guide you to one of them." Kanan instructed wisely.

Ezra looked down, his confidence drained. "What if I can't find it?"

"That's part of the test." He explained. "Trust yourself. Trust the Force." He sighed, allowing Ezra to begin his meditation.

It didn't take long for Ezra to become slightly bored and begin to talk once again. "So, did you take this test at my age?" He asked his eyes still clamped shut.

"It was different for me, Ezra. Everything was different back them. All that remains now is the Force."

"And only my connection to the Force can lead me to the temple." Ezra concluded with a small proud smile.

Kanan chuckled lightly, "He can be taught."

Ezra went back to meditating until he found their temple. "There's a massice stone with a tunnel, I think and a bright star inside of it… and it's right here, on Lothal!" Ezra exclaimed looking to Kanan with excitement.

"You sure?"

"I can't give you the coordinates, but I can direct us there. I know I can." Ezra assured going to the console with Kanan.

:.:.:.:

"So what is this test?" Hera asked curiously fiddling with the book she was meant to be reading but kept becoming distracted by questions in her thoughts.

"To see if the Padawan is meant to be a Jedi one day. Although they are training to become one, it is not certain if they will. It is a true test of their faith. In themselves, their master, and in the Force itself." She explained, now on the floor, lying down as if asleep.

"Quite a test. Lot of pressure."

"It truly is, their Master sits outside waiting for their Padawan to come back. Waiting until they come out, _if _they come out." She muttered tiredly.

"If? So he could possibly not come out?" Hera asked, worried.

"Yes, but its part of training and this trust for them to share will help them understand one another."

:.:.:.:

Ezra led them to a large rock stopping miles up into the air. "The stone from my vision." Ezra muttered seeing the stone come into view with relief.

"Autopilot disengaged." Kanan stated, with a small smirk.

"You already knew." Ezra accused with a smile in his voice.

"I checked the holocron back in my cabin." Kanan explained.

"And it told you there was a Jedi temple on Lothal?" Ezra asked.

"The holocron holds extensive star maps, but I was as surprised as you that there was a temple here. Course, I couldn't be sure this is where you were meant to be, but it makes sense. This is your home." Kanan sighed as they stood outside looking up at the temple. "You better figure out how we get inside, and don't take too long." Kanan chastised as Ezra began his venture up the temple. "Remember, the Empire has access to all the old Jedi records. They may know about this temple and have it under surveillance."

While Ezra was scouring the temple, Kanan took to meditating in front of the Phantom as he waited for Ezra to conclude his search. "Nothing. No sign of an entrance. Not even a crack. But I know this is the place. I feel it. Seriously, can't you give me a hint?" Ezra shouted down to him, slowly getting agitated by trying to find an entrance.

"Don't look. Listen! Use the Force to hear the stone and its story." Kanan called up, showing him the way in light hints.

"The stone." Ezra said turning to it, his hands placed on top of its outer layer. "The temple. I-It want to admit me. No. Wait not me. Us. Master and Padawan. Together." He said first as a whisper then loud enough for Kanan to hear him where he sat.

"Then together it shall be." He stood to his feet going to stand beside Ezra where he met him half way, the two standing beside each other, raising the stone from the ground. "Whoa." Ezra gasped watching the temple rise higher.

"Don't lose focus." Kanan guided bringing back Ezra to finish the job. "We don't want this thing crashing down on us." He stated, entering the temple that had now found its entrance.

The temple let out rumbling noises as Ezra began to scream at an old skeleton of robes and bones. "You lost focus." Kanan hissed.

"Well, dead guys are distracting." Ezra shot back, annoyed that Kanan was so inconsiderate.

"In here, you'll have to face your worst fears and overcome them, and there's no guarantee of success." Kanan explained, as they looked off at the multiple dead bodies.

"I have plenty of faith." Ezra shrugged looking back to Kanan." "Faith you'll keep me on track."

"I'm not going with you." Kanan stated simply.

"What? Where are you going to be?" Ezra asked astonished he was going to be left alone to face his fears alone.

"Right here, with the Masters whose Padawans never returned." Kanan stated, throwing a hand to the bodies.

"You're putting your life in my hands?" Ezra continued asking, more confused and astonished than ever.

"You put your training in mine." He returned simply, unfazed by Ezra's expressions. The temple began to rumble once more. "Good luck." Kanan sighed.

"Wait. What exactly am I looking for?" Ezra asked as he stood behind the room, the door beginning to descend.

"Nothing and everything." Kanan said vaguely.

"That doesn't help." Ezra said, leaning down to his hands and knees to continue talking.

"I know." The doors shut. "But that's what my Master told me." Kanan sighed, beginning his meditation.

"Great." Ezra scoffed. "Should've brought the holocron." Ezra said as he looked at the paths set in front of him unsure of what to choose, only to resort to an old childish picking system he and Andromeda would do. "Loth-rat, Loth-cat, Loth-wolf, run. Pick a path and all is done."

Kanan came up behind him, beginning to chasing the ways he figured things out for himself. "Really? That's how you're choosing? What happened to using the Force?"

"What happened to having faith in me?" Ezra asked annoyed that Kanan didn't trust him.

"Second thoughts, fortunately." Kanan called, running in front of him and showing the way down a small hallway. "Come on." He called back.

"Kanan! Slow down."

"I told you. We might now have much time. The Empire could-" Kanan called back until his words cut off by the sound of a light saber igniting and his screams of agony.

"Kanan Kanan!" Ezra shouted, running faster until he skidded to a stop at the edge of a cliff. "The Inquisitor." He whispered to himself, shocked with Kanan beside him kneeling, clutching his abdomen in pain.

"I felt a disturbance in the Force the moment the Jedi decided to bring you here, Padawan." The Inquisitor smirked, looking to Ezra in triumph.

"No." Ezra whispered, backing away slowly.

"Now, who dies first?" He asked, looking between the two.

"No!" Kanan shouted, his words sounding a bit forced and unlike him as he spoke. "I'll die before I let you harm the boy."

"How reasonable." The skeleton man said with a smile turning to him, the two engaging in back and forth combat with their light sabers. In a few moments, Kanan was kicked off the cliff and down to the ground to his death. The Inquisitor watching happily.

"Kanan, no!" Ezra shouted desperately, his eyes filled with tears.

"Kanan." The Inquisitor recited to himself "So he called himself 'Kanan' did he? Well, it hardly matters now." He said thoughtfully, turning to Ezra, his triumph growing into an air of egotistical confidence.

"I'll make you pay. I swear I'll make you pay!" Ezra shouted, the light saber in his hands in moments but unable to come on.

"Apparently someone's now quite ready to become a Jedi and never will be." He laughed pushing him down too.

Ezra rubbed his head, surviving the fall. His eyes opened to see the painting Sabine had done so long ago in front of him. He was in his room, he stood making his way out to find the crew minus Kanan and Andromeda sitting at the table talking to one another.

"How do you figure the kid's doing?" Zeb asked from beyong the door, Chopper answering Zeb. "I gotta agree with Chop. I don't think Ezra was ready." The door opened so Ezra could see them perfectly clear. "I don't think we'll be seeing him again, which is too bad." Hera sighed, looking onto the table unable to make eye contact with the rest.

"Really?" Zeb asked with a smirk, leaning back in his chair. "'Cause I'll be happy just to get my cabin back to myself."

Hera's face hardened as she pounded her fist to the table. "It's too bad because he had skills that were useful to our cause."

"Hah. Knew there was a reason you were being so nice to him." The Lasat laughed in his lounge.

"That;s pretty cold guys." Sabine said, her voice abnormal also like Kanan's had been, all of their voices were slightly warped, he could tell. "After all, he's just a little kid… scared… alone. Me? I pity him." Sabine stated, a hand to her chest.

"Well, look who's here." Zeb called, grabbing Ezra who had been about to turn away to leave.

"How long do you think he was listening?" Sabine asked, standing with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Long enough." Ezra stated, backing away from them.

"Eh, nothing personal, kid." Zeb shrugged with a small smile as if it hadn't truly mattered if his feelings had hurt.

"No, this isn't you talking. I'm not on the Ghost. I couldn't be." Ezra stated, talking to himself.

"Well, that's just crazy talk. You're standing here aren't you?" Zeb asked, his facial features portraying that of mildly amused confusion.

"No. I'm back in the temple." The room turned red around him, Ezra stared up to see the Inquisitor preparing to brutally murder all of his friends. "No. No this isn't real!" He shouted backing out of the room, the doors closing in front of him as the shouts of his friends called out to him. To save them.

The doors opened, he could see Sabine's feet sticking out from behind the table top, motionless. He stared up to see the Inquisitor. Quickly scurrying away, he tried to find some way out of there until he hit the back door. Unable to get out.

The doors let open and he was dropped into a soundless, bustling city. He looked around noticing it as his old spot as a child where he would sit watching how people moved to certain things, expressed so many emotions, saw little ways to steal from them. He sat, alone again.

Andromeda walked over to him with bread and water handing it to him before motioning to follow him. He quickly stood to his feet like he did so many years prior. He followed like a lost puppy back to his old home where the two sat for a few seconds as he finished the food. She watched him with a smile, then standing to leave.

He followed once more, the two in the market walking, watching, and waiting. She looked down at Ezra, as if he were young again he was enraptured in her generosity but steady coolness. Her smile kept itself trained upon him as her cold fingers wrapped around his that were wrapped around her arm, gently peeling his fingers off of her. Then in one quick movement she left him, standing alone and scared in the middle of people crowding around him. He couldn't see her, never would. She was gone, left him abandoned. Her smile then seemed to be a bit crueler to him in his memories of that day only minutes ago unlike the day he truly met her. He flung around trying to find her.

"Anne-Marie!" He shouted, slowly getting more desperate to find her. Dark came too soon and he was forced to find his way through the dark back to his home. He walked inside with a sigh looking around his eyes glazing over everything. IN a quick second he looked back to one particular spot, right between the couch and the wall where she sat motionless. Her eyes wide and blank. Dead.

"MOM!" He screamed, desperate running to her side holding onto her arms as if somehow shaking her would wake her from her 'slumber'. He turned a bit to see the room go red and the Inquisitor standing in the kitchen doorframe his light saber gently in front of him ignited. Ezra watched him with wide, glassy eyes. He turned to the woman who raised him, shut her eyes to keep her sleep peaceful, then scrambling down the hole only to meet himself to fall once more.

He landed with a thud against the temple floor, sitting up dizzy. "That's right. I'm in temple. I knew it." He said to himself, standing to his feet. "Kanan? Kanan, where are you?" He shouted to the small room, the door closed in front of him. "No. He died! The Inquisitor killed him!" He said to himself, clutching his head trying to right himself. "Or o-or was that an illusion too? Either way, I'm trapped. No way will I get this opened on my own." He sighed falling to his hands and knees in despair.

"I'm alone, abandoned, again." Ezra whispered to himself before the gears in his mind began to work unlike they did with Andromeda. "Again, yeah. Been alone before. Survived. I can survive this. Maybe Kanan's not dead, maybe he's just injured. He might need my help." He cheered to himself, walking forward to the door opening it to see that red filter come through once more.

"How perceptive." The Inquisitor said with a smile as he walked in.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! You were on the Ghost and Lothal, and all that was definitely an illusion." He told himself, trying to keep himself going.

The Inquisitor stood in front of him, his smile now a frown. "It may have been, but I assure you," He leaned close to Ezra, intimidating him further. "I am not. No way out, Padawan."

"There's always a way out, if I follow my training." Ezra told himself, closing his eyes for a moment to concentrate.

"Ready to die, boy, or are you afraid to face your demise?"

"No. Afraid of being alone again? Sure. Afraid of letting down my Master? Absolutely." Ezra admitted standing up to the Inquisitor once and for all.

"Your Master lies dead and rotting in a forgotten tunnel." The Inquisitor snapped. "You could hardly have let him down more."

"I'm not afraid." He told him, standing tall in front of him as his light saber rained down on him passing through and then… gone.

Ezra leaned back, stumbling his adrenaline wearing off. "Big fears have you faced, young one." A garbled voice said from above Ezra.

"Yes." He responded, not phased by the comforting voice.

"Hmm. For what lies ahead, ready are you?" He asked curiously.

"I am." He replied, his head bowed.

"Come. See more clearly what you could not see before."

"Who are you?" Ezra asked.

"A guide." A light rained from above, glittering above Ezra's head leading him past the room and to the great mystery of what was beyond.

:.:.:.:

"In many way's this challenge is a test for both of them, Ezra to test his faith and Kanan to test his patience. If one were to fall short of that, they would be a crippled team. Unable to hold trust or patience for one another later then holding back the team."

:.:.:.:

"The kid's taking too long." Kanan groaned, beginning to stand to his feet. "Taking after Meda, I see." He laughed lightly to himself.

"Patience." Master Yoda called to him. "Remember you nothing of your own training?"

"Master Yoda!" Kanan shouted with glee before bringing his hopes dwindling down. "It can't be. I'm losing it." He told himself with a sigh.

"Losing? Lost. Yes. But what loss, hmm? The question, that is." Yoda said, as Kanan was pushed back down to his knees, then awkwardly to his hands.

"Master? How-how can this be?" Kanan asked dumbfounded by the prospect of one of the great Master's being alive.

"Be not concerned with how. Know I am here because you are here."

"Thank you, Master." Kanan said grateful.

"Thank you? Hmm." Yoda laughed. "Nothing have I done. Hmm. See you, I can. Before, I could not. Changed, something has." He concluded, seeing the true Cowboy Jedi Kanan was meant to be.

"I've take on an apprentice."

"Apprentice? Hmm. And now Master are you? Of this decision, honest you must be."

"It's true." He sighed. "I'm not sure of my decision to train Ezra, not because of him or his abilities" He stuttered, reassuring the Master he was a great kid. "because of who I am."

:.:.:.:

"Which way is the right way?" Ezra asked as they came to a fork in the road.

"The wrong question, that is." Yoda responded.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand. To be honest, I don't even know what I'm doing here." He sighed, looking down to his feet.

Master Yoda chuckled. "A better question, that is."

"Kanan said I was gonna be tested, but he never said what for or why."

"And your Master tell you everything, must he?" Yoda asked, allowing Ezra to think.

"Well no." He concluded.

:.:.:.:

"Your path, you must decide. A dangerous time for your apprentice." Yoda told Kanan.

"I know, I can sense it. I feel as if his abilities are growing faster than I can teach him."

"You sense, or you fear?"

Kanan sighed at Yoda's accurate assumption. "I lost my way for a long time, but now I have a chance to change things."

"Hmm. Last chance."

"I won't let him lose his way, not like I did."

:.:.:.:

"Whoa." Ezra found himself standing in a lit room with Yoda's spirit above him.

"Tell me. Why must you become Jedi?"

"I don't know. I guess because Kanan and Andromeda believe I can."

"Ah. Kanan and Andromeda, a name long since heard, think you can." Yoda said enlightened by Ezra's claim. "Hmm, and you?"

"Well, I'll become stronger, powerful." Ezra continued, unsure of himself.

"Ah. Power you seek."

"I'd make the Empire suffer for everything it did, for everything it took, for my parents! I-I wouldn't be helpless anymore!" Ezra shouted, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Ah. Jedi way is revenge? Teach you this, your Master did?" Yoda asked thoughtfully, Ezra's head snapped up at the accusation.

"No. Kanan would never. He's a good Master, a-a great Master."

"Andromeda?"

"No. No way. The most she could do is teach me how to run away." Ezra defended.

Yoda chuckled lightly but went back to his questions. "Then why seek you revenge?"

"I don't." Ezra reassured through grit teeth.

"Hmm. Inside you much anger, much fear." Yoda told him.

"I just want to protect myself, my friends, and the only famliy I have left." He stated, trying to show Yoda his side.

"And this is why you must be Jedi?"

"Yes, and not just them. Everyone. I'll protect everyone. Before I met Kanan, I only ever thought of myself, even with Andromeda showing me how to save another's life for no benefit at all. They don't think like me. They help people, they give everything away, and I see it." He choked up a bit. "I see how it makes people feel."

"Fell, yes. How?"

"Alive. They feel alive, like I do now." Ezra said smiling.

"Good. Good." The room around him changed so he could see the thousands of stars that hung in the sky, from a ways away he could make out the constellation of _Andromeda_ vaguely. "Ahead of you a difficult path there is, Padawan. A Jedi you may be." A bright blue light slowly sank to him and into his awaiting hands.

Ezra walked out minutes later, renewed somehow. "How are you?" Kanan asked, standing before him.

"Different, but the same."

Kanan chuckled. :I know what you mean."

Ezra held his hand out. "I found this." He showed him the blue light that had dropped to him from above.

"I don't believe it."

"What is it? It's good, right?" Ezra asked, unable to handle the suspense as Kanan stood before him proudly.

"Ezra, that's a kyber crystal!" He said with a big smile.

"Oh. Wow." Ezra stated with fake enthusiasm as he looked at it closely. "What's a kyber crystal."

"It's a light saber crystal." He restated.

The two made their way back outside towards the Phantom so that they could be back home with comfort, even for a little while. "I have to admit, when I brought you here, I didn't see this happening. Getting a light saber is a big step."

The temple went back to how it was before so that no intruders could make their mark inside the sacred place. "It's strange that it's just here." Ezra said, looking up at it.

"And it will be, for now, and hopefully it'll be here long after you and I are gone." His hand placed on Ezra's shoulder hopefully looking at it with the same respect.

"I was just thinking, shouldn't we use it as a base or something? Who knows what else is in there?" Ezra said a bit excited at the prospect.

"I know what's in there. The past." Kanan stated before going back to the Phantom.

:.:.:.:

"Are you okay?" Andromeda asked as the boys made their landing and into the hallway where she was waiting since she heard the engines of the Phantom arriving.

"Yeah w-" Kanan began before Ezra ran in front of him, glopping her in a breath taking hug.

"Don't ever leave me. I don't want to be alone again." He said trying to hold back his tears.

"Oh, sweetheart, I would never." She sighed, rubbing his back soothingly as she looked up to Kanan who shrugged. "Let's go talk it over if you want. Over some tea." She said quietly leading him down the hallway back to the kitchen, leaving Kanan to himself. "You too Kanan!" She shouted, the man quickly running up to walk behind the two.

:.:.:.:

"He's been working on that thing for weeks." Zeb groaned, Ezra hadn't been out of his room for more than thirty minutes a day since he began to work on his light saber. "What kind of light saber could he possibly build with the junk we have laying around?"

"Well, I had a few spare parts I found over the years." Kanan inputted.

"And I had bits and pieces that might work modulation circuits, an energy gate. Chopper even donated a power cell." Sabine said pointing to Chipped as he hiccupped by.

"I gave him some additional tech. He was pretty specific about what he was looking for." Hera stated with a laugh.

Ezra slid down the ladder moments later with his new light saber in hand. He held the device to Kanan with a smile. "I thought I'd let you check it out first."

"Well, it's different." Kanan concluded, looking over the light saber that looked more like a high tech blaster. "But that seems about right for you."

"Look I even found a way to set in the locket you gave me, Anne-Marie." He said with a smile, the small locket from his birthday set in place for a much more sentimental and better place he could put it, making Andromeda smile from the thought, not at all offended by what he had done to it.

"Go for it." She whispered, pushing it back into his hands a bit more. He clicked a small button allowing the light saber to expand and twirl around him. His smile brighter than any of them had seen in a long time.


	13. Disgusting

**So sorry guys for the wait, I've just had writers block for the past week basically. Anyway...**

**ToughGirlsRuleTheWorld: I'm glad you thought it was cute! Sorry, this one doesn't have much lightsaber action either... I'm just not sure about what's happening with my story, I've just been so tired... ugh! Have a good day.**

**seleneraven1999: Thank you! **

Andromeda and Kanan sat at the small bar in the middle of town, where they spoke to Jho, the bartender. "Hey, it doesn't have to be a big job, Jho." Kanan stated, setting down the cup he had been drinking from, whereas Andromeda was sipping on hers. "Just something to put fuel in the Ghost and food in our bellies."

"Sorry, Kanan. Got nothing." Jho said with a small shrug of disappointment. "But the stranger playing with Zeb over there said he was looking to hire a ship and crew." Andromeda tensed a slight bit but made no further movements as Kanan paid Jho and stood up.

"Thanks."

"I'm going to the ladies room for a minute. I'll meet you over there." Andromeda said with a small smile before getting up and walking in the opposite direction.

When Andromeda came back to the table she found Zeb's opponent call back to them after Zeb claimed his victory. "It appears I have an Idiot's Array. Which makes you, well" He laughed lightly only to get Zeb growled.

"And what does that make you?"

"Name's Calrissian." He leaned into the light so that the three see his eyes glinted of mischief, a small flicker towards Andromeda and she was shoved behind Kanan. "Lando Calrissian. Now please, introduce me to my new droid." He grinned, looking from Andromeda to Zeb to Lando's new droid, Chopper.

"What?!" Andromeda shouted, jumping up from behind Kanan and glaring at the two. "You guys bet Droid!"

"Why are you blaming me?" Kanan defended as if he had no part in the process raising his hands as his voice went up an octave.

A stern finger poked into his chest as gray eyes glared up at him. "I know you had a part in it." Andromeda declared, turning on her heel and to the exit. "Let's go back to the ship before I kill one of you." She demanded, stretching her arms over head before dashing to the counter where a steaming cup of tea was waiting for her. "Thanks Jho." She called to the man who looked back and waved.

"Free of charge."

She smiled to him walking back to the three boys who waited at the entrance for her. She noticed the cocky grin on Calrissian's face and glowered at him. "That threat was for you too, Calrissian."

"Ooh feisty, my type of wo-" His head rattled from a sudden impact and with further inspection of who hit him he noticed a light fist clenching in front of his nose.

"Don't think the next time will be any less than this." She said in annoyance turning away to walk at least ten paces in front of them.

:.:.:.:

The five appeared on the ship with a sour looking Andromeda who was clutching her throw away tea cup in her hands so that it crushed immediately. "Feel free to knock any of them around." She said while stomping away to rest against the railing up top to watch from above.

Zeb walked on with a guilty face, his hands held up as he walked to where he stood next to Ezra who sat on a crate polishing an old helmet of his. "Hi, I can explain."

"Explain what?" Hera asked standing up now from where she and Sabine had been working on a project.

Kanan and Lando began to walk up the ramp. "Hera, Sabine, Ezra." He greeted throwing a small hand to his side where Lando stood. "This is Lando Calrissian. He needs a fast ship to move some cargo past the Imperial blockade of Lothal."

"Yes. For some reason, this planet has an unusually large Imperial presence." He nodded looking around at all the faces while Kanan sheepishly looked over to Hera who was curiously looking at him. "But are you sure can get this vessel past the blockade, - Captain Hera, is it?" He asked catching Hera's attention.

She nodded, crossing her arms and positioning herself more protected. "It is, and the Ghost can mask both its signal and signature. We'll get you past the blockade. What's the cargo?"

"I was told "No questions asked"." Lando stated with a slight smirk on his face always.

"That's fine. It just costs more." She stated once more only to be shot down.

"Kanan and I already settled on a price, but I assume he requires your approval."

"He doesn't."

"Excellent." He exclaimed turning to Kanan shaking his hand. "When the job's done, you'll be paid handsomely and, as agreed, I'll return your droid." He said, knowing it would rile up the crew.

"Here we go." Andromeda muttered, jumping down to stand on the crate with Ezra, the whole crew going wide eyed at the statement.

"Return our droid?" Hera shouted, turning to Chopper who rolled up banging at Zeb's thigh in anger. Hera pushed him lightly away to glare at the Lasat.

"Uh, yeah. Funny story." He scratched the back of his head in stress. "You see, Lando and I were playing Sabacc, and I kinda bet Chopper." He muttered.

"Garazeb Orrelios, Chopper wasn't yours to bet!" Hera raged looking at Zeb with anger in her green eyes.

"Kanan said it was okay." Zeb defended, the two girls who had preciously shouted at him turned to look at the man.

"I knew it." Andromeda muttered glaring at him.

"And you should know better! Chopper is a member of this crew!" Hera burst as her hate infested eyes landed on him, Kanan filled with guilt.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We should go. I need to pick up my cargo, and I don't want to keep my supplier waiting." Lando intervened. "Besides if all goes well, there won't be anything for you good people to argue about." He claimed.

Hera quickly turned to Kanan and hit him in the arm harshly before making her way to the cockpit to pull them off of Lothal.

"What's with your women and hitting?" Lando asked turning to the shamefaced Kanan. Andromeda hopped off from her crate about to 'talk' to Lando when Ezra dragged her away.

"She just doesn't like new people." Ezra called dragging her hand towards the kitchen to soothe her down as he muttered breathe. She took a deep breath before making a 'I'm watching you' signal to Lando as she left, as to which he only waved politely back.

:.:.:.:

"Are you okay?" Ezra asked as he set down a small tea cup in front of Andromeda lightly as he sat across from her with his own cup.

"I'm fine. You know me and new people. I'm just back to the way I was when we first got on this ship plus this Calrissian character is really sketchy, I don't trust him." Andromeda whispered with her eyes closed as she lifted the cup to her lips.

"It's alright… to be afraid." Ezra stated as she watched her fingers shake. "You just need to know when to admit it to yourself." He sighed, looking at Andromeda's now open eyes that stared down into the cup that held the brown liquid.

She sighed looking up. "Ezra, you see right through me. It scares me often, but you do and I appreciate that. But sometimes things are too hard to admit to one's self because…" She looked away to the other side of the room. "It's too hard. It's just- I don't know how to explain it but, the way he holds himself. It makes me fear what mystery's lie beyond him, what he thinks he can do to this crew, our family. I will protect all six of you before anything happens to any of you." She whispered from where she now stood at the entrance. "I'm going to check on Kanan and Hera." She sighed walking out.

Ezra smiled lightly while bringing the cup to his lips. "She's found a family she's never had." He laughed lightly taking a sip. "Finally." He sighed.

:.:.:.:

"I'm more of a galactic entrepreneur." Andromeda heard as she walked into the cockpit, noticing the glare Kanan gave him. She laughed lightly until Lando spoke once more. "That means businessperson."

"I know what it means." Kanan snapped, looking back to the front.

"Hello, Andymaeda, was it?" Lando asked with a thick smile.

Andromeda glared own at the man not amused by his stupid mistake. "Andromeda." Was all she said as she stood behind Kanan stiffly.

"Chopper, I need you to fix the signature modulator so we can get past the blockade." Kanan called back but was replied with Chopper's back talk.

"Chopper's right. He's no longer part of the crew. He doesn't have to do what you tell him anymore." Hera said patronizing Kanan as she kept on.

"I can see you have some things to work out. I wonder, my new friend, if you'd be kind enough to give me a tour of this fine ship." Lando asked, patting the droid on his head who immediately agreed going out the door calling back to him.

"I don't trust that guy. I'm following him to make sure he doesn't do anything." Andromeda claimed beginning to walk out of the room to follow him only to be stopped by Hera.

"No, Andromeda. Let him be, the crew can handle themselves." She said calmly. The pale haired girl clenched her hands and dark eyes before turning around and flopping into a chair with a huff.

"Fine." She muttered crossing her arms.

"If you want to pass the time, you can try to fix the modulator." Hera suggested with a small shrug and sympathetic eyes towards her as the two jumped into hyperspace.

"I don't know mechanics, I don't want to break down the ship she muttered, leaning over the chair as if she were laying down.

Hera sighed. "Do as you want then."

Lando came back in a while later having been called by Hera to the cock pit since they had found the ship Lando had been waiting for. He smiled over to Andromeda who glared, sticking her foot out beside herself, allowing him to trip a bit but catch himself, but no strife in his expressions as he leaned on Hera's chair to speak with the passing ship.

Andromeda stood defensively but didn't act otherwise. "Merchant-One, this is Calrissian. Requesting permission to dock." Lando called to the other ship.

"You have the goods?" A menacing, greedy voice asked across the line.

"Always." Calrissian smiled weirdly at Hera causing Andromeda to watch him more suspiciously.

"Ah, then permission granted." He allowed the Ghost attaching itself to the other.

The four walked down to the entrance between the two, Andromeda forcing herself to go with them so she could keep them out of trouble, try as she might.

"Now, whatever I say, just play along." Lando began at the head of the three.

"Wait. What does that mean?" Kanan asked as they made it to the two doors. "I hope you have a backup plan in case something goes wrong." Hera stated, looking up at Calrissian as the four made it into the ship with guards leading them through.

"No fear, Captain. If a comet hits, this ship has escape pods." Calrissian assured.

"That's not exactly the kind of 'wrong' I had in mind." Hera stated haughtily as they made it into a dimly lit room.

"Good to see you again, Azmorigan." Lando greeted as they came to see a plump red man eating his dinner.

"I have what you ordered." He said slowly in a callous voice. "Mmm, mmm. What do you have to offer in return?"

Calrissian reached beside himself to latch onto Hera's arm beside him throwing her in front. "Her name is Hera."

She gasped with fright as she looked in front of herself shocked. "What?" Kanan shouted looking to Calrissian.

"You can't do this Calrissian." Andromeda shouted annoyed about to walk forward but Kanan latched onto her arm not able to let her go forward in case of more want by the greedy red man.

"Trust me." Lando settled looking back to the raged filled adults.

"Hera!" Kanan shouted to her, she looked back annoyed.

"A deal's a deal, Kanan." She seethed.

The red man looked at the woman who now fully stood, muttering to himself before speaking aloud. "Well, her attire is, uh, preposterous…" He looked up to see the white haired girl beside the man with the ponytail with narrowed eyes. Her familiar face structure and dark, hate filled eyes were familiar. "What is her name?" He asked, pointing a crooked finger to her.

"Andrameda." Calrissan stated proudly.

"It's Andromeda, for the last time." She seethed, glaring up at the man.

"Royalty?" Azmorigan muttered to himself remembering the young girl. "For the trade, I want her too." He claimed.

"No way." Kanan shouted but his hand was ripped from her arm by Calrissian.

"It's a deal." He stated, with a big grin.

"Good, then the deal is uh, set." Azmorigan stated.

Hera began to go into her act whereas Andromeda stood in hate watching the man. "Thank you, Lord Calrissian, for delivering me to my new master. I must find a way to repay you." She said softly, with her hands clutched together.

"Please don't let it concern you." Calrissian responded with the wave of a hand.

"Enough prattle." Azmorigan muttered beginning to get annoyed. "Eh, you disturb my supper." He belched unpleasantly getting a disgusted grunt out of Andromeda. "Uh, take your cargo and go." He proceeded waving them away.

"As always, Azmorigan, a pleasure doing business with you." Calrissian nodded heading to the exit while Kanan stood watching the two women standing, abandoned. Hera glared back at him defiantly whereas Andromeda stood with her arms crossed standing off to the side. He hesitated a moment but knew there was nothing more he could do, sighing he left with Lando.

The two entered the Ghost, Sabine waiting for them. She watched as the two entered the room without the girls. "Where are Hera and Andromeda?" She asked Kanan curiously as the doors closed behind them.

Kanan defensively crossed his arms, looking to Lando who was pushing his cargo in front of him. "Tell her about Hera and Andromeda, Lando."

"Hera is following the plan and getting the two out of there, which is what we should be doing if we want to get her back."

Zeb walked into the room and looked around. "Where're the girls?"

"What plan are they following?" Kanan continued, no one truly acknowledging Zeb.

"I told _Hera _to take an escape pod." He emphasized, not very confident in Andromeda by her personality.

"You never told her that." Kanan stated angrily.

"I did, actually. Weren't you paying attention? Besides, Hera strikes me as very capable, now the other one." He shrugged pushing the crate into the other. "But we are lucky to have a captain like her." He concluded, with Zeb behind him confused.

"What?" He snapped annoyed at the man's words of disgust towards Andromeda. "Wait what do you mean 'we'?" He continued his thoughts running around in confusion.

"Quite a day you're having." Sabine commented, Kanan looking down at her for a moment. "First you lose Chopper, now Hera and your girlfriend." She sighed walking forward with Kanan about to snap at her but she was already through the doors. He sighed, shoving his palms into his eyes in stress before making his way after.

:.:.:.:

Andromeda and Hera stood awkwardly in the room with the plump man as he ate his food viciously, making his new 'slaves' disgusted. "You need food?" He asked Hera throwing food towards her stuffed in his hands.

"I seem to have lost my appetite." Hera stated politely, the old man turned to the other one pointing food to her.

"Eh, what about her?" A glare was sent over her shoulder and Hera got the message.

"No, she's never really hungry." Hera calmly said. "But perhaps you'd like me to serve you." She asked getting an unladylike snort from her friend.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Good practice for you. Uh, serve me, serve me." He began stammering his eyes sometimes floating over to the other girl standing rigidly, he knew she wouldn't do anything for him. "Be quick about it." He stated looking back to her.

"And perhaps you'd prefer to dine alone?" Hera replied after taking the tray from one of his guards, leaning in towards his face.

"Mmm. Oh, yes. Go, go. Leave us. Beat it!" He shouted the few in the room, turning to one beside him and whispered to him. The guard he spoke to make his way to Andromeda, dragging her out of the room.

"Hera!" She shouted surprised, not actually thinking she'd be pulled out of the room with them.

"Don't worry, I'll see you in a bit." Hera called back.

"No, no, I'll see you at 17:24. Just do what you need to, don't worry about me." She called back allowing herself to be led into a small room and locked in. A couple seconds later a robot walked in holding a dress out to her, the one Azmorigan had talked to.

"The Master wants you to wear this." He stated, dropping it, then leaving. "Be ready in a half hour."

Andromeda sighed, picking up the dress seeing how… disgusting it was. Just like him. She wasn't ready for this, so she flopped onto the bed and took a cat nap only to be awoken to a rude awakening.

:.:.:.:

Hera had climbed back on board alone from her escape pod, the crew relieved by her arrival but concerned of the whereabouts of Andromeda. The puffer pig had exploded and she was unable to make it to the cockpit and when trying to call up front to Kanan to turn around to find Andromeda. It was too late they had already found themselves with Calrissian on his land. But once they had seen Azmorigan on the land and throw a fit that his royalty was no longer with them either she was assured she had escaped.

The crew had gone back to save the girl who was floating in space for some time, lonely and unsure what to do.

When the two ships locked on, she immediately dashed inside clutching to the nearest person to her. Which was Zeb, who wrapped his arms nervously around Andromeda who wouldn't let go of him. The crew all wrapped around her in a group hug, an awkward family group hug and after a while broke away.

"Do you want some tea?" Kanan and Ezra asked together looking at each other with the slightest bit of amusement.

"No." She said quietly, pushing past the crew and down to the rooms where she took refuge.

The two boys looked at each other surprised, never had they heard this young woman refuse the drink of tea. It was a strange thing to hear from her.

After a while they all made their ways to bed, bidding each other a soft goodnight and entering their rooms. Kanan noticed a small, unusual lump in his bed shaking and making small sniffles every once in a while.

"You do know you're in the wrong bed, right?" He asked quietly taking off his usual armor and shoes. The lump shifted lightly before a small voice replied.

"Yeah, I know. I just…" She began to sob again tucking herself underneath the sheets. He walked over immediately sitting on top of the bed.

"Hey, hey." He soothed, pressing down on the covers with his hand where she laid. "Don't worry. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly and just the smallest bit uncomfortable.

"No." She muttered, before a hand shot out and caught his arm, tugging him down. "Just lie with me." She whispered as he positioned himself more comfortable, the two lying beside each other the rest of the night.


End file.
